Avatar: The Dishonored Princess
by Skryr
Summary: What if Princess Azula had been the one exiled from the Fire Nation instead of Prince Zuko? Though some obvious changes are planned, I'll try to stick to the general plot of Avatar as much as possible, featuring Azula and her two closest companions. Rated T for some violence / fluff. OC inclusion and romance after a while.
1. Chapter I - The Early Years

THE DISHONORED PRINCESS  
CHAPTER I – THE EARLY YEARS

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Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

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So I'm back again.

I've been busy and then I had to edit most of this chapter for it to make sense at all. So, yeah. Sorry for the wait.

By way of story, in this telling of Avatar, Azula is the one banished from the Fire Nation instead of Zuko. I've wanted to do this story for a while, so I hope you enjoy

reading it as much as I did writing it.

Starside,

-Skryr

* * *

The air was ripe with excitement as the crowd of onlookers gathered to see the Princess arrive. She too looked forward to the proceedings, as promising as they were. The day she had been waiting for what seemed like forever had finally come.

It was her birthday!

Finally Princess Azula could get around her bedtime, order her own servants around, and everything the pampered royal life could offer. She had spent eight years under the watchful eye of her mother and father, and though she was grateful that they loved her so, she was eager to be independent and command her own (admittedly small) part of the Fire Nation.

She stepped from the carriage escorted by her parents in all their celebratory robes, and crossed the terrace of the Grove of Elder Lilies. It was a sacred place in the Royal Palace of the Fire Nation, afforded only to the Firelord's guests and the absurd amount of nobility that came to stare in awe at the beauty of the place.

Azula had often felt amazed here herself, whenever she had gone to feed the ducks that inhabited the place with her mother, before Zuko scared them away by using them as target practice, anyway. It was a blissful solace she found not very often.

And now, in front of the entire world, she would finally get her princess duties! She ascended to the table that was set up in the corner of the Grove's walls, a place she had appropriated via her mother to allow for a combination of shade and the view of the pond. She took her seat with zeal as her family followed suit.

Her brother Zuko sat to the right of her father, while she got to sit next to her mother and her uncle Iroh. She was excited to see her uncle here as well, after his longtime campaign in a faraway place called the Earth Kingdom for her grandfather the Firelord. He only visited every now and then, but he always made sure to bring sweet rolls to sneak to his niece and nephew. They were Azula's favorite indulgence.

Azula's father stood after all the servants had arrived and held the birthday cake in his hands. "Daughter Azula! In celebration of your eighth year as Princess of the Fire Nation, the servants have worked long and hard to prepare your birthday cake! Are you ready to cut it?"

Azula was momentarily confused that he needed to ask that question. Quickly however she nodded with great enthusiasm and smiled as the cake was passed to her with her mother holding a knife. She grasped her mother's hand and was about to cut the thing open when her mother asked another question.

"Well aren't you going to blow out the candles?" In her haste to devour the deliciousness that was the pastry, she had forgotten all about the candles. Eight spires of light glowed in the shade of the maple tree. Azula summoned a breath and blew, and the candles soared off of the cake and into the sky, gleaming fireworks that made the image of a flame breathing dragon appear against the evening lights.

Azula loved it.

She then proceeded to cut the cake with her mother's aid and swore to Agni that she personally ate half of it. Though she was indeed quite full, when Uncle Iroh asked if she wanted any sweet rolls, she confessed that she wanted all of them. He merely chuckled as he slipped her two packages.

After some time Azula stood and moved to greet her guests, as was the way a princess was supposed to, she mused. Though she only really wanted to see her friends from the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, Ty Lee and Mai.

She had seen many noblemen's daughters at the Royal Fire Academy, but only the two she hoped to see had really caught her attention. Many of them just wanted to be seen as her friend because she was the Princess of the Fire Nation, but none of them saw what made Azula herself. That bothered her.

But Ty Lee and Mai saw that, at least. She liked them because they could make her laugh and would go with her anywhere she wanted to go, and do anything she wanted. She could trust them with anything.

She was overjoyed when she saw the somber figure of Mai flanked by the juxtaposed joyful gait of Ty Lee. They were like polar opposites, that way. Mai said few things and the things she _did_ say were often sarcastic and mean, but to Azula and only Azula were they sincerely caring. Ty Lee, on the other hand, wanted everyone she met to know that she was the happiest person ever to grace the planet. It was as though she had all the energy of the world in her lithe little body.

"Ty Lee! Mai!" Azula cried, running to them. Mai's lips turned upward at the sight of her friend approaching, while Ty Lee tackled the young Princess in a backbreaking hug. "Happy Eighth! I can't wait until _I'm_ eight! That's so awesome!"

After she untangled herself from her energetic friend Azula procured the remaining package of sweet rolls that Uncle Iroh had given her, and in turn handed them to her friends. Ty Lee greedily took most of them, and then seemed to remember her place.

Mai however simply grinned. "Keep them. I don't want any." Azula gave the package to a servant after Ty Lee had had her fill, and took the two on a "tour" of the Grove, though they had taken the same trip numerous times at Azula's behest. Mai shrugged as was her nature and Azula knew they were simply humoring her. But she didn't care in the slightest. Anything with her friends made her immensely happy.

Eventually the three tired out from the tenth race around the Grove, and Mai and Ty Lee's parents arrived to collect them, while Azula followed her mother back to the Royal Palace.

Azula reached her bed and collapsed, relishing the smooth silk sheets that the Princess' bedroom deserved. It was glorious. She made herself comfortable, and admitted a servant to enter and wash her feet, which she did with what seemed like genuine eagerness.

Azula loved the life.

* * *

Some time that week, Azula made a point to visit the Grove of Elder Lilies again. It was different now that no one was there. It was quiet, a mellow and reflective sort of silence, with only the birds and the trees rustling in the wind to interrupt the atmosphere.

Azula felt older, but not like her last birthdays. She had felt old then, maybe not as old as her grandfather or her Master Jeong Jeong, but still really old. Now she felt different.

Her mother had once told her that getting older meant getting smarter, simply because one does more the older one gets. But Azula didn't see that now. Now she saw the three servants that insisted upon following her everywhere, not that she had a problem with this notion, but she knew now that this was her life as the Princess. She could grow to get used to it.

Sure, there would undoubtedly be more times when her brother Zuko would bother her. He, unlike her, was a much more cunning person. Though she knew that the birthright of royalty was to order the ones beneath them, Zuko seemed to take a personal liking to this, using it most often after his own eighth birthday to keep Azula away from his "important business endeavors" with his friends Hanzo and Korosu.

That was fine. Azula didn't like Zuko's friends anyways. But it _did_ distance him from her, and he seemed to change as a result. He was always showing off for their grandfather the Firelord, and even more so for their father. Azula did not feel any kind of urge to compete against this, but for some reason their father dismissed this as unsatisfactory. Azula did not understand why.

But now things would be different. Now Azula could what she wanted with Mai and Ty Lee, and Zuko couldn't order her around or make fun of her just because she couldn't firebend out of her nose like he could. So what? She didn't care.

She had the entire life of a Princess to look forward to!

* * *

The Grove of Elder Lilies was silent once again save for the footsteps of the hooded individual. She moved with a grace uncanny of someone her age and stature, as though a delicate bird of some sort was moving to relax in the sunshine not unlike the swans that frequented the pond.

But Princess Azula was not a bird.

Despite her elegant movements, her soul was quite the opposite. Tears streaked her face, her raven hair uncharacteristically disheveled and left at the mercy of the elements. She made no sound, not even a whimper, so as to not disrupt the tranquility that she could feel even in her distraught state.

Why did it have to happen on _this_ day of all days?! The one day where even her grandfather the Firelord could have been pleased!

Azula tried to remember her disciplinary training. She could hear Master Jeong Jeong's words echoing in her mind. _"Stop. Take a deep breath. Release your emotions. They are not always your friend."_ She tried to let go of her frustration, but it persisted.

She shouldn't have trusted her brother Zuko. She should have known that he was a treacherous snake, always waiting for the right moment to strike and increase his status in front of their father. Azula did not know why Zuko had to hurt her to do this though.

Azula heard footsteps behind her. She glanced upwards to allow her eyes to fall upon the figures of her only friends, Mai and Ty Lee. She could trust them.

They wore similar hooded robes, a commoner's clothing, presumably to escape notice from the guards that were surely wondering what was going on. Azula _had_ left quite a mess in the palace after all.

Mai said nothing when she reached Azula, as was her quite demeanor, but Ty Lee was already in tears when she laid her hand on Azula's shoulder. "Azula! Are you alright?! We're worried sick about you! After what Zuko did-" She broke off to snarl in disgust.

Azula grasped Ty Lee's hand and pulled herself to stand. She looked at her friends. Tai Li's face was distraught, while Mai's showed only the slightest break of emotion from behind her normal mask. Azula broke the silence.

"Ty Lee," She breathed. "Have you seen my mother? Is she-?" She could not say the word that would have followed. It was too horrible. Ty Lee's face dropped. "They banished her a few minutes after what happened, I'm sorry Azula!"

She hugged her. Azula could not hold back the anguish any longer. She sobbed on Ty Lee's shoulder, not noticing a solitary tear rolling down Mai's cheek as she joined the embrace, not noticing the two figures approaching in the background.

The leader of the figures wore the same robe that Azula was wearing, long brown hair cascading from underneath the hood. The figure stopped. "Azula?"

It was her mother's voice.

"Mother!" Azula ran towards her mother. She didn't care what anyone thought about it. Not now. "Mother! Don't leave!"

Her mother's hands clasped her face. "My darling, do not cry. I have to leave you, but you have to remain strong. Please, listen." Azula stopped her questions.

"I've been banished, my darling. I have to leave the Fire Nation. But you have Mai and Ty Lee, they'll help you. I-" The figure on her left cleared his throat. It was Azula's uncle Iroh. "Ursa. I'm sorry, but we must go. We've risked your life to get you here as it is."

But she did not notice him. "Don't leave me mother! Don't go! Stay with me!"

Her mother's eyes were dimmed with tears. "I have to go Azula. Stay strong. Don't be afraid. I love you daughter." Iroh patted her shoulder as she began to sob, and the figures left the Grove. Azula sank to her knees. Ty Lee kneeled beside her to put her arm around her friend.

"We're with you Azula. You can trust us." Azula looked up to see Mai's face in front of hers. "We'll go with you anywhere."

Azula nodded, stifling further tears. It was time to go.

"Let's go back to the palace. They'll be expecting us for dinner."

* * *

Azula could not sleep. The way her father had acted as though her mother did not exist after she had been banished was maddening. It was like she had been erased from Azula's life. She hated that.

And her brother's teasing was worse. "She deserved it. She was a traitor to the Fire Nation." He had said, in that snide way of his. He seemed glad that she was gone. How could he be so heartless?!

She rolled over her shoulder for what had to have been the thirteenth time. Hm. _One for each dreadful year_, she mused. She had already decided this was the worst day of her life, and thus it was fitting that the day of her thirteenth birthday was the time when everything had gone wrong.

But even if everyone else forgot her mother, _Azula_ wouldn't. She couldn't. The brown hair, the golden eyes, and the soothing voice refused to leave her mind. _I love you my darling Azula_.

Finally she felt sleep overtake her, but when the dreams came she wished she had stayed awake.

* * *

The day played out in her nightmares. Zuko had walked into her bedroom with a devious smirk. "Father doesn't like you much anymore." Azula had not known why he had said that. "What are you talking about?"

"Grandfather's dead. You know what that means." Azula let out a cry. "What?! How?!"

Mist swirled around Zuko's horrible laughing face. Azula was with her father as the Fire Sages crowned him the new Firelord. Her uncle was by her side, holding her shoulder as she struggled to keep back the tears. Her father looked at them with his malevolent manner. "Your father has become the Firelord, Azula. It is a joyous occasion. Smile."

Her uncle merely shook his head at his brother's words, leading Azula off to the side of the procession. "Listen, Azula. There is nothing that can be done about your father, Zuko, or anyone else. All you can change is yourself. Be strong, Azula. You have the heart of a dragon. Use it."

It had brought Azula the first smile that day.

Then she was at her father's side, next to Zuko, as the Fire Sages pronounced her mother's banishment. "We find Ursa, wife of the Firelord Ozai, to be guilty in the murder of our late Firelord Azulon. We hereby sentence her to banishment from the Fire Nation, to live out the rest of her life in exile and dishonor. We hereby strip her of all her royal title and Fire Nation citizenship, and by name she shall be called Ursa no longer."

Azula cried as a guard led her mother away.

And then Azula awoke hearing Zuko's laughter echo in the halls.

* * *

A year passed before Azula stood in the Grove of Elder Lilies again. Her fourteenth birthday had not been nearly as horrid as her thirteenth, but the year itself was grimmer than any that had come before it. Master Jeong Jeong had deserted the Fire Nation. Azula's uncle argued much more frequently with Azula's father. And Zuko's taunting grew extraordinarily.

She sought to find solace from all her troubles, and had been reminded of the Grove when she had looked at her mother's robe that had been left behind in Azula's room. It reminded Azula of her, the way she had always been there, and now the way that she was always _not_.

Azula had wondered over and over why her grandfather had been murdered, why everyone blamed her mother, why her supposedly loving husband could bear to banish her from the palace and her home, and why Azula's only brother could be so cruel.

She had lost her faith in her sovereign country. It had been great once, when it flourished under her grandfather Azulon and her great grandfather Sozin. But with her father as the Firelord, it was cruel and evil. The original intent of the war against the other people of the world was to spread prosperity and eliminate differences, so everyone could live in peace.

But now it was a war to make others suffer as much as possible before they broke. Azula did not want to be a part of it. She could understand why Master Jeong Jeong refused to take part in it, why Uncle Iroh retired from his title as the Dragon of the West, why evil men like Mai's uncle were allowed to torture prisoners in the Boiling Rock just for the fun of it.

She didn't know what to do. She wished her mother were there. She'd comfort her, help her make sense of her mind, and guide her on the right path. But her thoughts were interrupted when her brother entered the Grove.

"I thought I'd find you here. You have a "special" connection to this place, don't you?" Azula refused to justify him with a response. She was not in the mood for a fight today. But Zuko did not seem to notice.

"Father is hosting another war meeting this evening. It would be advantageous for you to attend." Azula glanced up at him. "Why? So you can taunt me in front of _all_ the Fire Nation's generals?" Zuko merely shrugged. "Our uncle requested your presence personally."

That changed things. Azula would have to talk to Uncle Iroh to see if Zuko wasn't deceiving her again. Her brother left with a sideways glance at her, and Azula followed shortly after he vanished from sight.

* * *

"Uncle Iroh! I need to talk to you!" Azula called out her uncle from the palace door. Unsurprisingly he was simply relaxing in the lounge with a cup of tea. "Ah, Azula! What is it?"

Azula glanced around to see that Zuko was not present, then spoke quietly. "Is it true that you invited me to the war meeting tonight?" Iroh set down his tea. "I didn't invite you so much as your father did, and I thought it would be a good idea if you were there as well."

Azula struggled to keep her voice down. "Why?! You know how much I hate being in the same room as all those psychopaths! They're sending their corrupt men to kill and torture innocent people across the world-"

Iroh put his finger to her lips. "Shh, Azula. While your heart is correct, there is nothing that we can do at the moment. Plus, this war meeting is much more important than normal. It's about the invasion of the Earth Kingdom capital Ba Sing Se."

Azula noted that Iroh's tone was suddenly darker when he mentioned that place. She knew that was where his last campaign as the Dragon of the West had taken place, and where her cousin Lu Ten had died. She felt a pang of sympathy for her uncle.

"Why did my father request my presence there, though? Zuko made it sound different this time." Iroh frowned at the mention of her sibling. "Zuko makes a lot of things sound different, but in this case he was right. My brother _did_ request you specifically to be at the meeting, at his side, in fact."

Iroh leaned forward. "And this is just between the two of us, but I think he's testing you." At Azula's raised eyebrow, Iroh explained. "Your loyalty. You were closest to your mother, and she was a threat to your father. He's testing you to see if you're loyal. It is imperative you attend the meeting and keep your opinions to yourself."

Before Azula could retort, Iroh spoke over her again. "I know its hard Azula. I too disagree with almost everything my brother does these days. But this is important, for your sake most of all. If you are assigned command of an armada to attack the Earth Kingdom, you could lead them in the right direction. You have the heart of a dragon, Azula. Don't falter."

Iroh stood and left Azula to her chaotic thoughts.

* * *

Azula put on her best robe, similar to the one she had worn to her father's coronation. It was highly uncomfortable, prompting Azula to think that her mother had tailored it specifically for the purpose of making Azula never want to wear it. _Well, it _was_ rather ingenious._ Azula mused with a smile.

It was rather fitting, in that sense, that Azula hated literally everything about that meeting. From her father and his cruelty, her brother's inheritance of that trait, and the lack of a remotely sane person in that room save for her, for which she would surely feel out of place. Even the room was terrible, vaguely reminiscent as it was of her grandfather Azulon's inquiries about her firebending talent, still brought bad memories with it.

Yes, she chuckled. She hated _everything_ about it.

Azula found Zuko in the hallway, who to her surprise looked almost disappointed at her arrival. "You finally decided to show up, did you?" Azula nodded. She had decided to trust Iroh. He was the only she _could_ trust in the royal family.

"You know Father will request your presence at his side, don't you?" Azula nodded once again. She knew this as well. What was he getting at?

"It would be unwise of you to… object to his generals' decisions. I could only imagine the fury that he would have for a dissenter among his own flesh and blood." Zuko grinned at this thought. Azula resisted the urge to burn a hole in his head.

"We'll see Zuko. We'll see."

She approached the door to the royal chamber as the guards let her and her brother through the checkpoint. At the sound, everyone in the hall turned to look at the newcomers. Seeing her father's small smile, unsettling as it was, Azula walked the length of the carpet from the entrance to her seat at her father's left hand, ignoring the astonished remarks directed at her whilst in transit.

She knew that they did not want her here. Perhaps even her father did not _really_ want her here. Perhaps he only meant for her to suffer through the slaughter of innocents of both the Fire Nation and the rest of the world. But she didn't care.

She would not cower like they expected her to.

"Ah, Azula. You have finally arrived. Please, daughter, take your seat so we may begin."

* * *

As it turned out, the meeting was almost exclusively dedicated to praising the "genius" of Firelord Ozai, the Great Warmaker, as was his ill-received title. Several times Azula refrained from either vomiting or making a derogatory comment about "his illustrious lordship" when he would have to order silence for the meeting to continue amongst all the clamor of applause.

Finally, the plans on how to invade the Earth Kingdom were reached. General Lee suggested a prolonged siege against the major Earth Kingdom cities, such as Omashu and Gaoling, before attacking Ba Sing Se directly.

"The Earth Kingdom's defenders wouldn't be able to withstand a prolonged assault of our elite soldiers." The general concluded, looking quite pleased with himself. Iroh cleared his throat, signaling his wish to speak. The Firelord noticed this. "Brother? You have a comment?"

Iroh rose. "I do. General Lee, of what you know of the Earth Kingdom's military, what do you consider their greatest advantage?" Lee paled. "Well, um, General Iroh, the Earth Kingdom's advantage is their entrenched settlements, and-"

"And what are their fortifications made of?" Lee gulped. "Well, earth, I suppose…"

Iroh rolled his eyes. "Don't you see? The Earth Kingdom's advantage is that we are attacking their homeland. As Earthbenders they control the landscape. Everything we fight in that land is theirs to shape as though it were clay. What takes us weeks to destroy would take them moments to rebuild, and anything short of exterminating all of them would take months, if not _years_, to make significant progress."

"That is also not considering their superior numbers and mobilization. The Earth Kingdom is more than six times the size of our sovereign land, and roughly that much more in soldiers. Even if our soldiers are superior in fighting prowess, we would be overwhelmed and nothing would be gained. Pointless deaths on both sides."

General Jian rose to Lee's defense and spoke to Iroh. "Forgive what may seem like impudence General Iroh, but how much experience do you have in conquering the Earth Kingdom?" Iroh merely frowned. "How much do _you_, Jian? I may have failed to conquer Ba Sing Se, but _I_ breached the outer wall, and that alone took half of the time I had estimated it to take. The Earthbenders are a tenacious people, stubborn and tough, they outnumber us, they overwhelm us, and they would defeat any invasion we could possibly have ready."

Jian stood unmoving. "Then what do you propose?" Iroh sighed for a brief moment before answering. "I propose that we do not attack the Earth Kingdom. We are not ready."

The hall exploded into arguments, but in another moment the Firelord ordered silence to take its place. "Very well brother, your advice has been noted. But General Jian, you look as though you have protest. What is your plan for the Earth Kingdom?"

Jian smiled. Azula despised that smile. "I am not one to doubt the wisdom of the Dragon of the West. Though his campaign was, ashamedly, a failure," he cast a mocking glance at Iroh, who had turned away. "I believe he is correct. The Earthbenders are indeed stubborn. We cannot fight them head on and expect a victory. So, I propose a more symbolic victory."

The Firelord's eyebrow drew itself a fraction of an inch. "How?"

"I suggest we break their spirit. Their greatest advantage is their tenacity to fight and to win. Therefore we must take away that spirit before our soldiers can destroy them. We must lure out the spine of the Earth Kingdom and crush it."

He made a fist and planted it on the map where Ba Sing Se was located. Azula felt her disgust for the man increase exponentially when he continued to speak. "Several strategic targets to the soft underbelly of the Earth Kingdom's hard shell. Terror campaigns designed to strike fear into our enemy's heart, instead of fire to scorch them. That is what I suggest, my lord."

Azula's father smiled. "An interesting strategy, General Jian. Assuming it is put into motion, what would be your first target?" Jian bowed at the acknowledgment and returned to the map.

"We would first burn down as many small villages as we can find, or at least, the ones that would not submit to our dominion. If the major Earth Kingdom cities cannot fend for themselves, they cannot resist a siege for long."

He looked back to Iroh. "And yes, General Iroh, I recall that Ba Sing Se itself is entirely self-sufficient within its walls. I would not repeat the mistakes of the past and attempt a strenuous siege against a wall of the enemy, hoping to break it. I would use our resources to our advantage as well."

Jian directed his instructions via the map. "We would use our inexperienced squadrons to distract the enemy while specialists such as my own forces destroy the major targets of the city in question, such as armories, guard outposts, the like. They would then destroy all resistance from the inside of the city outward until we have claimed it for our own."

The Firelord responded. "And what of the citizens of the cities we have newly conquered? What do you intend to do with them?" Jian shrugged as Azula's blood boiled. "Resources. Expendable at any rate. They can easily replace the rank and file soldiers we would employ to distract the Earthbenders. Additionally, they could be held as hostages against our enemies in other cities as well. This would lure the Earthbenders away from their fortresses like lambs to the slaughter."

The Firelord chuckled. "I approve, General Jian. Your determination is noteworthy. And I-" Azula could not contain herself any longer. She _had_ to stop this madness.

She rose and shouted above her father, though with how quiet the room became with her interruption, it was a rather moot occurrence. "You coward Jian! You seek to send our own soldiers to their deaths for some senseless trap?!"

Jian blanched while Azula's father snarled. "Azula! Sit down! This is not the time-" Azula ignored him. "You are a disgrace to the Fire Nation Jian! You have no right to call yourself a general!"

"How dare you!" He cried, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "You challenge my honor!" She refused to give in. "That's right! I challenge you, General Jian, to an Agni Kai!"

The silence was broken with a frenzy of whispers. Azula's father turned to her. "You have issued a challenge, Azula?" She nodded in defiance. Let none see her surrender without a fight. "I do indeed father."

"You realize that the loser is stripped of all honor and banished from the Fire Nation? Forever?" Azula nodded again. "I would settle for nothing less."

She would forever remember the expression on his face. It would haunt her for the rest of her life how he seemed to enjoy this proposition more than the idea of the Earth Kingdom suffering.

"Then prepare yourself Azula. The Agni Kai will take place tomorrow at noon."

* * *

Okay, first chapter is done! Leave a review and tell me what you think!

Enjoy!


	2. Chapter II - The First Agni Kai

THE DISHONORED PRINCESS

CHAPTER II – THE FIRST AGNI KAI

* * *

So I've gotten back in the groove of some actual writing. I'm back for real this time!

This chapter's a bit short, but I couldn't really find a better way to end it, so I apologize for the cliffhanger.

On the other hand, the next chapter will be longer, and will take a more linear approach as to the memories of Azula like the first chapter

and this one do.

So yeah.

-Skryr

* * *

Princess Azula stepped out of her bedroom. There was an anxiety about her that was rather unknown to her character. The impending threat of a real Agni Kai had finally reached her, it seemed. Iroh's suggestions on how she should prepare herself had proven to be useful to her state of mind, but the sick anticipation was still getting to her.

It wasn't just that she was sure to punish Jian for his evil and disrespect for the lives of the Fire Nation's soldiers. Azula _wanted_ to fight. She had felt the burning desire to prove herself in combat before, under her tutelage with Master Jeong Jeong, but how she felt now was of a much more intense caliber.

Every bone in her body, having received an herb-filled bath and a relaxed slumber the night before, was prepared to go into action against her adversaries. She could feel the heat emanating from her fingertips, begging her mind to convert them into jets of flame.

She was ready.

Servants attended Azula as she hastily ate breakfast and prepared herself for the day's proceedings. At a time near noon, several of the Fire Sages arrived at the royal palace asking her to accompany them. Azula knew that this was in accordance with the age-old Agni Kai traditions of "purification" before the duel for honor. She recognized snippets of the Ancient Tongue as the Fire Sages began to chant and walk in step. She tried her best to keep up with them.

Azula followed them to the Fire Temple, an ascetic structure designed to reflect the simplicity of pure flame: a single burning desire to spread. Azula knew that most architecture in the Fire Nation (well, mostly everything, really) was designed to model the characteristics of its native element as the ancient Sun Warriors sought to eons ago.

The eldest of the Fire Sages led Azula away to a room lit with a single candle at its center. "Princess Azula, it is with great honor that I am given the privilege to prepare you for your Agni Kai. Allow me to preface the ceremony with gratitude that you have risen up to initiate this duel."

Azula's eyes widened. "What makes you say that?" The Sage merely nodded, more to himself than to her. "It has been some time since someone has had the courage to challenge someone of this high ranking in the Fire Nation. Most of the Agni Kai duels nowadays are simple things, meant to relieve stress more than to invoke a challenge upon one's honor. And forgive my forgetfulness Princess, but you challenged him on the full honor of the Fire Nation's military?"

Azula nodded. "I could not let it stand, Sage." The Sage raised a hand in placation. "You mistake my motive; I do not intend to criticize. I respect your cause, Princess. I simply fear that few others share the same disposition. In any case, we should begin the ceremony."

Azula nodded once more as the old Sage spread his hands. "Agni! This young warrior with the heart of a dragon has invoked the right of challenge! May you bless her in her attempts to fight for not only her own honor, but for the honor of the Fire Nation!"

The Sage then gave Azula a small grin. "Now I must recite the Sage's blessings. A fair warning, however. This will take some time." Azula sighed.

It turned out that "some time" was a bit of an understatement. Azula eventually was left alone to dress in the ceremonial Agni Kai garb. It was a simple thing, befitting of the dedication of the Fire Sages themselves; a two piece clothweave tunic was given to her, and as she discarded her robe for a servant to collect (thankfully this one was one of her normal handmaidens), she slipped the outfit on.

It radiated warmth. She felt fire begging to be released at her will. It felt good.

The old Sage returned and motioned for her to follow. She accompanied the other Sages down a passageway in the Temple to a lengthy tunnel. After following this, Azula saw the tunnel open up into an enormous chamber.

She recognized the characteristic wooden gates of the Arena, the place where the Agni Kai duels were held. She had often attended duels between the better fighters in the Fire Nation, where the sand beneath offered neither help nor hindrance to the firebenders that entered.

Master Jeong Jeong had once told her that the environment was always a tool, if one could find it. She wondered how the sand could be used, if at all, to aid in her fight against Jian.

The elder Sage pardoned the other Sages leave while he accompanied Azula to the gates. "May Agni give you strength child. You will need it."

"I can hold my own against Jian, Sage. I was the most skilled of Master Jeong Jeong's pupils." At this the Sage seemed to shrink a little. "J-Jian? Oh Agni…" Without another word he left. Azula's confusion multiplied. What was his problem? Suddenly, the voice of the Arena's announcer reached her ears.

"Citizens of the Fire Nation! Children of the Dragons! I welcome you to a most amazing spectacle! You have all seen the Agni Kai! A duel to the pain of the loser, as to expand the honor of the victor! A time-honored tradition of the Dragons themselves that has been preserved as what separates our glorious nation from the others of this world!"

Azula looked among the throngs of onlookers. There were so many that they blocked out one another, but perhaps she could glimpse her own friends? Uncle Iroh, or perhaps Master Piandao?

Her father?

"But I am here today to give you a different fight! You have witnessed in this Arena the duels of champions past, but today will be a fight like no other! The honor of the Firelord himself has been challenged by none other than our own crown princess! General Jian, as befits our traditions, has allowed the Firelord to act accordingly!"

Azula gasped. What had Jian done?!

"The Firelord has accepted the challenge to his honor, and will honor us this day with his prodigal firebending skill!" The crowd erupted in a deafening cacophony. The announcer had to shout over them to make himself heard. "And the crown princess of the Fire Nation, Princess Azula, arrives as the challenger!"

More applause spread across the Arena. Azula could not hear it though. The shock had not yet passed. She was about to fight her father, the Firelord, or in other words, the world's most powerful firebender even as admitted by Master Jeong Jeong, in mere moments.

Everything happened in slow motion as the thoughts in Azula's mind connected. The Sages had known that the Firelord was taking Jian's place as the defender of his honor, and understandably were convinced that Azula did not stand a chance.

The elder Sage had felt respect, perhaps even reverence, for her when he had questioned why she had taken the challenge. She realized now that he must have thought of her as one would think of a martyr. Somehow, that thought made her angry enough for the haze to clear and the Arena returned to focus.

The gates opened with a great clamor. The announcer shouted over the crowd again. "LET THE AGNI KAI BEGIN!"

The opposite gate parted to reveal the towering figure of Azula's father, the Firelord. He too had donned the ceremonial garb of the Agni Kai, but he strode into the sandpit as though he was clad in the finest of royal silk.

Azula approached with anxiety, fear, rage, and determination all in a conglomerate form. She figured that if she was to die, this would be the way she would want it: a death in the most honorable of ways. She knew that the Agni Kai was rarely ever fought to the death.

But she also knew that times had changed.

Her father surveyed her as she approached. "You have arrived! Zuko had suggested you would not when you discovered that _I_ would be your opponent. He seems to have been mistaken."

Azula did not respond. "You are aware that when you lose, you will be banished? Exiled, without any trace of honor, and bound to a death sentence if you set foot in your country again?"

Azula remained silent. She knew he was baiting her, waiting for her to be distracted to he could strike. He was like the serpentine aspect of the Dragon that the Fire Nation revered, though not for his honor or his strength. Cunning served his selfishness more than the virtues ever could.

At the lack of reaction, her father snarled. "Just like your mother! A coward to match power even in words!" Azula's blood boiled from the insults, but this was the breaking point. She would _not_ tolerate such insult to her mother's honor. It was no longer just her.

With a cry of "No!" that echoed within the confines of the Arena, Azula flung herself at her father with a jet of flame that was infused with her rage. The rational part of her screamed at her to not be stupid, but she no longer cared. Confrontation with her father was more or less inevitable. She may as well have the first blow.

But the Firelord merely waved a hand and parted the fire. He retaliated with three series of fire blasts that knocked Azula backwards into the sand. She rolled over, dodging a fourth blast, and shot back a few of her own before she evaded a fifth from her father.

Her body was filled with adrenaline, but her mind told her to focus and steady herself. The power of firebending was in its devastation caused by concentration. Wildfire was destructive, but it could not compare to the might Master Jeong Jeong had displayed when meditating.

Her eyes scanned her father for weakness, though she knew there was none. She then recalled the Arena being composed mostly of sand, and decided to use that to her advantage. With a silent prayer of thanks to her Master, she kicked the ground beneath her and a wave of sand flew into the face of her opponent, greeted by a string of curses and a blind blast of fire that caught her.

Her father recovered faster than any firebender she knew could, and then launched a series of attacks that she could not hope to match. She fell backwards again, and her father aimed the final blast of fire at her face.

"Do you yield?!" He shouted. There was a madness in his eyes that Azula found impossible to comprehend. She attempted to kick him, and though she only caused a moment's distraction, she rolled again, only to be stopped with another jet of flame.

She knew she had lost. But she refused to let him break her spirit. "If you came to hear me beg, you will be disappointed." Her father let out a mirthless, cruel laugh.

"Are you sure?"

And the last thing Azula remembered was a molten pain on the side of her face.

* * *

So what do you think?

I admittedly changed the closed Arena to an open air one filled with sand, because I feel like a closed one just wasn't befitting of this kind of tradition.

Regardless, I rather liked how it turned out.

Leave a review and stay tuned for Chapter III!

-Skryr


	3. Chapter III - The Search Begins

THE DISHONORED PRINCESS

CHAPTER III – THE SEARCH

* * *

Sorry for the delays! Much to do, and so little time it seems. Anyways, I finally finished this chapter and got myself out of writer's block again. Woohoo!

So now you get to read it. Have fun!

* * *

Azula paced atop the bow of her ship, the _Redeemer_. She had walked this area countless times in her journey to find and capture the Avatar, using the distraction of movement as a way of centering herself in what was otherwise a chaotic world.

Despite how many times her uncle Iroh reprimanded her in their lessons by telling her to breathe properly, or how many times the voice of old Master Jeong Jeong shouting the same thing at her resonated in her mind, Azula found it hard to keep still and calm when she did not even have the honor of a common peasant.

It had been four years (four _years!_) since her banishment from her sovereign country and title as the Princess of the Fire Nation. The scar that she had received as a "punishment" from her father the Firelord persisted even now, a painful reminder to not fail again.

It was a scar like those she had seen on survivors of a terrible wildfire, but unlike theirs hers resisted treatment. It burned at the slightest touch, and refused all medical aid to at least alleviate the throbbing pain. Over the years Azula had grown used to it, but every now and then a splitting headache would erupt whenever she was foolish enough to bump her skull against something hard.

Azula had often heard it said that melancholy found men most often in the mornings, where nothing could be heard by their ears other than their own thoughts. She had come to agree with this statement, finding the only form of relaxation that would work would be this variant of "meditation".

The _Redeemer_ smoothly cut through the ice of the South Pole, seemingly a reflection of its master's own grace as she searched for the impossible. Her great grandfather, the esteemed Firelord Sozin, had hunted down the Air Nomads to extinction in an attempt to halt the Avatar Cycle, but Azula was convinced that even he in all his brilliance could not have killed _all_ of them.

Scouring the Air Temples, Azula had torn through every source of information in those haunted halls trying to find hints of the Avatar's existence, but to no avail. The closest record she discovered was in the Southern Air Temple, though her efforts had ultimately been foiled by a curious door that restricted access into some sort of sacred chamber in the lowest recesses of the temple, though for all intents and purposes Azula could manage it may as well have been a wall.

She had recalled that her great grandfather had died in his sleep whilst in the South Pole, searching for the Avatar in his seemingly vain quest. Azula guessed that since the Avatar was evidently in hiding all this time (otherwise an Avatar not born of the Air Nomads would have arisen), and because of the Northern Water Tribe's relative neutrality in the Great War, she assumed that the Avatar was not located there.

Regardless, anywhere her great grandfather sought to find her prey would be a reasonable place to start. And out here in the wilderness of ice, there was little to remind Azula of home. Though she yearned to return to her life, another part of her dreaded every facet of going back to Zuko's sneering face and her father's displeasure at her continued existence.

She watched the sun rise over the icebergs. She admitted even to her uncle that she found the sight beautiful, for there truly was nothing like it in her homeland of fire and volcanic rock. Out in the abject lack of civilization, there was a kind of majesty about the surroundings. She wished that she bring the scenery with her when she returned home.

_If_ she returned home…

Azula could not fail this task. She had to capture or kill the Avatar, and as much as she detested the way the Fire Nation that she loved was spiraling out of control, the only way to correct its path was to eventually succeed her father as the Firelord.

But such painful thoughts made Azula uncomfortable. She was not accustomed to hardship of this form. So she simply stopped her pacing and sat on the cold metal of the ship.

She wondered as she did this what the Fire Nation _really_ thought of her forced exodus. Had they thought of her with respect, only to disown her like her family did when they heard of her "dishonorable conduct"? Did they regard her like another frowning noble, ready to squander their resources like a greedy tyrant?

She had no idea. The only interaction that she as a young princess had with the commoners was at ceremonies large enough for the nobility to invite some of their more unsavory friends from the lower classes that still reeked of corruption.

To be fair, the nobility that she had known _did_ squander the Fire Nation's wealth into pointless endeavors such as jade mining to line the royal palace with the expensive stone, or inventing new silks to make the nobles to appear less bloated than they were, but all the while giving the populace the impression that they were "doing it for the common good".

Azula was disgusted by it. If only _she_ could change things…

Her thoughts were interrupted by her uncle, who had approached with two cups of warm tea and had apparently found her in what he recognized as a meditative state. Or at least, the closest Azula could manage.

"It's peaceful, isn't it Azula?" He inquired. Azula guessed he was referring to their surroundings of ice. "It's cold." She replied, nonplussed. She was irritated that her train of thought had been disturbed, though she couldn't really stay angry with him.

Her uncle was effectively her only remaining tie to her mother, given that Master Jeong Jeong had vanished, and was one of the few in the world that was sympathetic to her situation. He was also one of the last honorable firebenders left in the world. If anyone could help her take back her country, it was the Dragon of the West.

And on top of that, he kept her on her toes with advanced firebending training and even acquired her ship for her. She was grateful to her benefactors, after all.

"Uncle?" He turned to her as he sipped his tea. "What happens when- _if_ I find the Avatar and return to the Fire Nation?" He merely shrugged. "I don't know. It would be wise of us to focus less on the destination and more on the journey, but if you wish an answer…"

He looked into the distance. Azula wondered if he saw something she did not.

"…Things will be very different if we return, Azula. I fear that the life you once led will be difficult to find again." His words seemed to confound her, so he left her with her own cup of tea and returned below deck to play Pai Sho with the crew.

* * *

Hours later Azula returned to the deck of the _Redeemer_. She had observed her uncle's grandmaster strategy in the game of Four Nations, something she could only begin to understand. He truly was a genius, the way that he appeared as an innocent old man, but he could play a mean hand at the first blast of fire.

Before she could resume her pacing, something caught her eye. Later she would attribute it to providence by Agni, or even simple fortune, but she looked to her right when suddenly a pillar of light in blue hue shown in the sky, in stark contrast to the white background of the Southern Pole.

"Uncle! Look at this!" Her uncle ran to her side and saw the pillar of light. "What in the-?" He blustered. Azula's mind raced. What could it mean? There was nothing out here in this wasteland that could warrant something this spectacular but one thing.

"Uncle! It's the Avatar! It _must_ be!" Azula scrutinized the direction of the pillar and then yelled at the bridge for the captain. "Captain Yan! Plot a course for that light! Get us there as fast as you can!"

The _Redeemer_ sputtered to life from its dormant coasting state and began breaking ice with the front targe towards the pillar of light. Azula knew that the search for the Avatar had finally begun in earnest.

* * *

Mere minutes later, the site of the light had been reached. Azula had noticed that the pillar had vanished, and though the origin of the light had not been discovered, the area felt different to Azula, somehow. An almost imperceptible change, like that of a different odor when entering a new room, but Azula's senses were currently running on adrenaline.

"Uncle? Where could he have gone?" This question had been addressed to her uncle even though Azula knew he could not answer it. The likelihood of the pillar of light and the Avatar's location being uncorrelated was admittedly low. Therefore, Azula guessed that he could not be far.

She took the telescope that was located near the bow of the _Redeemer_ and scanned the horizon. She noticed only two things in particular against the icebergs that floated incessantly on the waters. An old ship that appeared to be of the Fire Navy was stopped on the snow, apparently banked there, given the ice that coated it.

The other was a curious rounded ice structure, which stood out against the jagged edges of most of the other icebergs. Azula decided to investigate both of the places on foot to find any clues towards the Avatar's whereabouts.

At the captain's inquiry as to where to go next, Azula pointed towards the rounded iceberg, when suddenly a flare not unlike the emergency ones used in the Fire Navy erupted into the sky, like the pillar of light in that it drew all eyes on the ship towards it.

Azula redirected her focus on the iced ship and the _Redeemer_ sped on its course towards the location in question. She commandeered the telescope another time and peered at the ship, and other than a small figure rapidly moving across the tundra near the ship, nothing could be seen.

The small figure was most likely an animal of sorts, or perhaps a native tribesman, Azula could not tell due to the telescope's magnification. But she was sure that the two incidents (the flare and the pillar of light) were connected. Her mind refused to accept any other conclusion.

* * *

The _Redeemer_ crashed into the side of the iceberg where the other ship was frozen over. Azula took the gangplank and was accompanied by Iroh and Lieutenant Jee as she strode towards the ship.

She motioned for them to split up and searched the interior of the below deck area. Most of the rooms were frozen over and looked as though they had been that way for some time. She also located the armory, and upon realizing the armor of the soldiers within was far beyond outdated, guessed that this ship had once been a constituent of the Southern Raiders from several years ago.

Iroh entered the room, having completed his search and finding nothing. "The ship is very old Azula. Older than any I've seen in quite some time. It was probably frozen here when the Southern Water Tribe had control of this region."

Azula looked at him. "But what triggered the flare?" Iroh shrugged. "Probably an otter penguin or some small ice creature." He turned to leave, and Azula followed him. This situation was so odd that Azula was convinced something was about to happen.

"Lieutenant Jee! Inform the men that we are to sail for the domed ice structure due west, the one with the smoke rising from it!" Jee nodded and left Azula to pace aboard the _Redeemer_ once they reached the bow.

Azula peered through the telescope as they neared the hill. She noticed how the hill took shape as a dome-like object, with more pillars of smoke visible rising from the camp of sorts. She guessed that whatever called this wasteland home had established a residence here, which was where the Avatar was most likely located.

She took a deep breath as she retreated to her cabin. She donned the old combat armor that Iroh had given her for "less than peaceful confrontations". Surprisingly, it fit her enough so that she had a decent amount of maneuverability, and though the dated appearance looked rather comical to the trained eye, the primitive waterbenders likely couldn't tell the difference.

The helmet was a curved affair, bearing horns like that of a boar or some related creature. Azula could not see why this was chosen as the helmet's design. It was cumbersome with the things weighing down her head, so she elected to use only the armor, and replaced the helmet in its case.

Azula took another breath as she readied herself at the bow to face the Avatar's appearance.

* * *

Azula stepped onto the ice below as the _Redeemer_ crashed into the arctic home. Her hair rippled uncomfortably in the wind. She surveyed her surroundings, finding several primitive igloos and the remains of a wall of ice. Several onlookers, in the form of old women and children, with a few maidens of younger age mixed in between.

Strange. She pondered why there were no warriors in the camp. How did they find food?

Before she could wonder further, a piercing war cry over her shoulder. Spinning she brought a leg to collide with the figure rushing at her, and to her astonishment found that it had struck a mere boy, no older than a year beyond her, at the most.

He spat into the snow and charged her again, and again he was knocked down with one of her kicks. His tenacity was commendable, but his combat skills proved to be lackluster as he swung at her with a makeshift ice club.

"Get out of our home firebender scum!" He shouted at her. She merely evaded another of his strikes and retaliated with a punch of her own. He fell for a third time.

When he did not immediately rise up again, Azula attempted to calm her racing pulse and looked at the villagers again. They were afraid of her. She felt rather uncomfortable in this position, but refused to let anything show to the commoners.

She held up a hand and shot a jet of fire into the air with it. "I seek the Avatar! Where is he?"

Silence was her only response.

"The Avatar! The last airbender! I know he is here somewhere! Tell me where he is!" At that moment the boy jumped up from the ice and attacked her again, this time catching her off guard.

She leaned back to avoid the club, and then blasted fire at her attacker. He ducked, but as he did so she brought her leg around under his and kicked his feet out from under him. As he fell, she stomped on his chest, and shouted a third time at the crowd.

"Give me the Avatar or the boy dies!" Suddenly the crowd was parted by a small figure wearing yellow garb appeared. With a gasp, Azula saw the shaved head and arrow tattoos. The Avatar! But… shorter, and _younger_ than she expected. He was a mere boy! How could he have evaded the Fire Nation for all these years?

"_This_ is the Avatar? You are a boy! Where is the Avatar!?" The boy swung his staff, bringing a torrent of snow upon Azula and all of her soldiers. Azula melted the snow on its contact with her skin, but there was no denying it: this _boy_ was the Avatar!

"The Avatar! We meet at last!" She shrugged off more of the snow and readied herself in the same stance that she had been trained in with an Agni Kai. Amidst gasps and exclamations from the crowd, the Avatar readied his staff in a similar fashion.

"I've spent years hunting you Avatar! I've trained with the best firebenders in the world, and now I discover that the famed master of the elements is a mere _boy?!_" Azula shot fire at the Avatar who easily deflected it with his staff.

"So? _You're_ a teenager!" The Avatar retorted, then following the statement with a blast of air. Azula dodged and retaliated with more fire. "_I_ am the princess of the Fire Nation! I am not a simple child, like you!"

Azula threw a wave of fire at the Avatar with a swift kick. It dissipated against the rotating staff of the Avatar, but some of the villagers shrieked and edged away from the scuttle. The Avatar turned to see this, and upon confirmation of his suspicion, lowered his staff.

"If I go with you, will you promise to leave the village alone?" Azula frowned. _That_ was unexpected.  
"Of course. I have no need of them."

The Avatar laid down his staff. Azula motioned for her men to seize her target, and then turned to go back to the _Redeemer_. As she did so, she felt rather odd. It was a tingling sense of imminent peril. The Avatar _must_ be planning something. But what?

She ignored the gasps of the villagers as the Avatar followed her aboard the ship. A particularly poignant cry of "Aang, don't go! Don't leave!" reached her, but Azula disregarded it. She could not afford mistakes, and sentimentality was lost upon the ignorant masses of the world.

_What_ was he planning?

* * *

Near a small canoe made of ice, a lone figure was crouching next to the floating device, preparing it for departure. She bore an overcoat that her father had given her years ago made of ice boar leather, and within it was several days' worth of ration food from the village.

The girl was scarce over the age of fifteen, but determination and a harsh childhood had matured her much past this era of her life. The Avatar, the legendary icon of stability and hope in this time of crisis, had just been seen and nearly killed right in front of her!

The girl had decided since then that if she was any as courageous as her late mother before her, she would at least try to rescue the boy before the Fire Nation could take him away too. So she had stolen some of the food from the village stockpile (it was for a nobler cause, after all), and spirited herself away from the aftermath of the attack to her brother's canoe.

Before she could board the vessel she heard footsteps behind her and turned to see the owner of the canoe approaching in earnest. "Sokka! Don't try arguing with me! I won't listen!"

At his silence the girl continued. "I have to rescue him! He's the Avatar!" The boy merely shrugged her aside and loosened the ropes on the canoe, unleashing it from the makeshift dock. He stood and fixed her with a look. "I know. That's why I'm coming with you."

The girl, beset by flurry of emotion, embraced him. "Sokka! Thank you! You-" He untangled himself and ushered her into the canoe. "Not now. We have to reach the ship before it breaks out of the pole."

He looked into the distance where the trail of smoke from the Fire Nation warship was speeding away. "Is there any way your water magic can help?" Ignoring his slant against her bending talent, she nodded. "I can speed us up a bit."

He returned to the horizon. "Good." The canoe began to move faster with the help of his sister's bending. It crashed through the ice off towards the ship.

* * *

Azula had barely sat down in her chambers before the cry of panic had sounded throughout the ship. "The Avatar has escaped!" She arose with haste and re-donned her battle armor.

"I swear to Agni if he escapes-!" She threatened to nothing in particular, and then ran up the stairs to the deck of the _Redeemer_. The boy had indeed escaped capture, and was currently running about the deck blasting air at any of the guards that tried to apprehend him.

Azula unleashed several fire attacks, but the boy was simply too fast. Seeing her he jumped over her head and onto the _Redeemer's_ bridge. "Come back you coward!" Azula screamed.

She guessed he was looking for his staff, and upon realizing this Azula ran to her chambers once more, where she had stored the object for future inspection. She found the boy with staff in hand upon entry to her room, and immediately slammed the door.

"There's nowhere to run now Avatar. Surrender and I may spare you." The boy held his ground. "Couldn't we just talk about this?" Azula growled in response and shot a flame at him. With his staff again the Avatar deflected the attack and darted around the room.

Azula retaliated with more fire, and to her dismay the Avatar continued to literally run circles around her. Eventually the boy managed to blast Azula against the wall with a gust of air and left the room, to her continued anger.

One of the guards rushed in and helped her to stand, but the princess shrugged him away and raced after her query. She saw him run through the bridge and past the captain, so she followed suit while making a mental note not to underestimate the boy.

The Avatar's staff sprouted wing-like appendages and the boy soared into the air, but Azula had reached the edge of the bridge by this point and leaped after him, managing to grab onto the boy's heel. She launched more fire blasts from her hand in an attempt to set the staff ablaze, but to no avail. The boy kicked her hand away and with a splash she landed in the freezing water.

She yelled at her guards. "Lower the ladder!" Quickly they did so, and she climbed the rungs to reach the deck of the _Redeemer_ again, but saw the Avatar quickly vanishing from sight. "Catch him! He cannot escape!"

The engine of the _Redeemer_ rumbled to life, and the ship began cruising at rapid speed. Ice broke in the wake of the vessel, sometimes splashing Azula with water as it melted against the hot surface. She merely cursed against it, squinting into the distance to locate her target.

Finally the boy came into view, still flying on the wing apparatus. "Shoot him down!" Azula shrieked, blasting more jets of fire into the air. The Avatar dodged them still.

Suddenly a newcomer entered the fray. Near the Avatar's path of flight was a small canoe apparently made of ice, and on board were two small figures that Azula recognized from the pathetic village of waterdwellers.

Water spouts rose from near the canoe and froze into ice projectiles that hurled themselves at Azula's soldiers. They were not deadly enough to kill, but the sheer force of them was enough to effectively stop them from firing at the Avatar. She cursed loudly.

"Deal with the villagers! I will get the Avatar!" One of the guards was fortunate enough not to be struck by the icicle missiles, and managed to send a flame to the tip of the canoe, causing it to begin to sink. Exclamations arose from the vessel in question, but Azula had already turned her attention back to the Avatar.

The object of her attention, however, performed most curiously after this event conspired. The Avatar plunged down through the air towards the canoe, and with a blast of air pushed the canoe onto a nearby iceberg, where it collapsed but the passengers merely were knocked over.

Then the Avatar returned to the battle with Azula. She suspected something was different than their last encounter, noticing how the Avatar's movements were more aggressive. He rained down blasts of air that slammed most of the guards into the deck of the _Redeemer_, and then soared into the air once more before Azula could return the attacks.

Suddenly a sphere of what appeared to be clouds surrounded the Avatar, in a flash there was a loud crack in the sky. The two nearest icebergs gave forth a great groan and toppled, spilling ice and freezing water over the deck of the _Redeemer_.

Azula turned to see her men freeze before the cold of the ice, and then looked over her shoulder to see the Avatar riding atop a creature that she had only seen in history books: a sky bison! The beast roared into the air like the winged staff that its owner used, and after the two villagers from the crashed canoe boarded the saddle the creature bore on its back, it flew off into the horizon.

Azula surveyed the aftermath. The ship was frozen. Her men were frozen. Iroh came up from below deck and stood mouth agape at the scenery. Azula merely looked at the sky and shot a jet of fire at it in rage. "Damn you Avatar!"

Her uncle, true to his nature, produced a tea cup from his robe and offered it to the princess. "Perhaps you should calm down princess A-" She cut him off by slamming the tea cup into the deck of the ship.

"Nevermind." He walked back below deck. Azula heated her hands and thawed the ice of the nearest guard, then yelled at him. "Get the ship out of the ice as fast as you can! We will _not_ lose the Avatar!"

* * *

Hours later the _Redeemer_ was free of ice and swiftly cutting course through the remains of the ice left to cover before she and her crew were free of the South Pole. Azula lay on a mat in her chambers once again, contemplating the battle that had occurred.

However inexperienced the boy was, she needed to train more so that he could be defeated without any chance to escape. She assumed that the boy was headed towards the Earth Kingdom to escape the Fire Nation's patrols everywhere else, but she knew that there was nowhere he could hide now that he had been found.

"I _will_ find you." She said to herself. The thought both mocked and comforted her simultaneously. "I _will_ take back my honor."

Azula drifted off to sleep shortly afterwards.

* * *

So what do you guys think? Leave a review and let me know!


	4. Chapter IV - Rivalry and Revenge

THE DISHONORED PRINCESS

CHAPTER IV – RIVALRY AND REVENGE

* * *

Here we go! A new chapter after a ridiculously long break, and I apologize for that.

Life happens. Sick happens. Family traps to strange places without advance knowledge happen.

So yeah.

But here is the new chapter and I hope it is worth the wait!

* * *

"Uncle Iroh?"

"Yes, princess Azula?"

Azula strode into her uncle's bedchamber aboard the _Redeemer_ yet another morning after her unsuccessful combat against the Avatar. He kept his room with much less rigidity than the other officers on the ship, with the entire affair smelling faintly of tea leaves and herbal air fresheners. Azula found it grudgingly amusing.

Iroh looked rather serene this morning, though Azula suspected that he even he was beginning to tire of the interruptions of his habitual tea time of the early hours, even if he would never show it to his niece. He acknowledge her entry with a wave of his hand while characteristically drinking from his tea cup with the other.

"I need further training if I am to defeat the Avatar. I must learn the advanced firebending techniques you promised."

For a moment Iroh merely looked at her, before nodding in agreement. "Perhaps it is for the best." He stood and walked to her. "I do not believe you need such things at this time, but if it benefits your conscience…"

Azula turned to leave for the training area, but looked over her shoulder at the comment. "What do you mean by that uncle?"

He shrugged in response. "The Avatar is the most powerful bender in the world, capable of things even I could only dream of. I believe that for you to defeat him, you cannot rely on merely your own bending prowess alone. His versatility and skill would overwhelm you."

Quickly he remembered his niece's temper and added, "That is not to say that you are unskilled, princess, but rather that his is a level that you cannot obtain on the timeframe that you wish. It's a matter of using what skills you have that the Avatar does not, other advantages that are unique to yourself."

Azula had now completely forgotten the firebending techniques. "Like wha-argh!"

With a motion too fast to react to, Iroh flicked out his hand and punched Azula, lightly so as to not injure, but with enough force to knock her over. She toppled to the floor and sat up.

"Uncle! Why-?"

"This is what I mean. The Avatar would expect a firebending warrior, _especially_ one of your skill, to use firebending in a duel with him, thinking you too arrogant to use anything else. But with a simple push such as the one I demonstrated, you could take away his balance and turn the tide to your advantage, and the Avatar could be yours in moments."

He rose and offered his hand, and assisted her to stand. "Such acts of subversion may seem cowardly, princess Azula, something that only one like your brother would enact, but may I ask another question? Out of the two of you, who wins most of the duels?"

Azula said nothing. There was nothing to say.

Iroh shrugged. "Again, I do not mean to offend you. I only wish for you to see all of the abilities that you possess. If you master the elements feel free to disregard all of this."

He chuckled. "But enough of this. Now for some tea! I believe I have finally perfected the Jade Petal recipe!"

Azula drank the tea with him in silence. Her thoughts were still spinning.

* * *

Azula had spent the following week thinking on such things as the tactics her uncle spoke of. Somehow she had been defeated by a simple push. Not only her pride but so too her cunning demanded that she learn such a strategy, and moreover, how to defend against it.

Techniques of the subversive manner were largely unknown to her. She left the guile and such to Zuko in exchange for what she knew was superior firebending. She pondered over the idea that she could combine the two. It _would_ be nice to beat Zuko at his own game for once.

Her thoughts wandered. She had heard of other firebending forms, this was true. Flames so hot that they were blue in color, lightning that could leap from one's hand, even the ability to control the flow of steam in the air, as her great grandfather Sozin had been said to do.

The Avatar had all four elements at his disposal in enormous quantity and of the highest power known to the world, but not even he could learn what Azula could learn, prodigious as she was with her own craft. And with her uncle's aid, she could become unstoppable.

As she stood in her own bedchamber, she felt a rush of affection for the man. She realized how much of a gifted firebender he was as well, by her admission most likely the superior over her own father, and there was little doubt among the people how fierce the Dragon of the West was in battle.

She truly admired her uncle's skill, and yet how peaceful he was as well. He did not assert himself in dominance over others simply because they were not as strong as he was, but rather he helped them. Mocking and destroying was not his way, yet he was one of the most powerful firebenders she knew of.

Perhaps he was not the most aggressive, or the most relentless fighter, as she thought firebenders ought to be. Until all enemies had been vanquished, one's fight was not complete.

But Iroh had also sacrificed much. Azula could only imagine his reaction when her father had taken the throne on the deathbed of Azulon, and so soon after the death of Iroh's own son! If Azula had been in his place the palace would have become a place of war.

But he had shown grace even then. She did not understand why or how he was capable of such things, yet they happened all the same. And then he had given up his prestigious standing with the aristocracy of the Fire Nation by vouching for her when she spoke up at the war meeting that led to her banishment, and even more when he essentially exiled himself to assist her in hunting the Avatar.

For all his flaws, Iroh had no obligation to help, and she was, of all firebenders, most likely the least worthy to learn from him.

And now he was helping her. She swore at that moment to find some way to repay him for his kindness.

* * *

The following day Azula tried an experiment. Iroh appeared to calm himself through meditation, and many times she had been advised to do the same. Perhaps the secret to his skill was that he remain focused on his objective rather than letting annoyances distract him. Perhaps the anger that she felt could be concentrated on a goal rather than a method.

Iroh entered the room as she completed this thought. "Azula? What are you doing?"

She frowned. Admittedly this was not something that she was likely to be doing, but she refused to confess this.

"I am thinking, uncle. I would wish that you not disturb me unless you bring news of the Avatar's whereabouts." Though she could not see him, the frown she was sure he returned stung the tiniest amount.

"Yes… about him. We don't know _exactly_ where he is-"

"Then why did you interrupt me?"

"-but captain Zhao has requested that he come aboard the ship."

Azula stood up so fast that she knocked over the tray of Rose Petal extract tea that Iroh had placed behind her and stumbled, then hit her head on the wall. She made a mental note to drink tea _before_ meditating instead of after.

"What?! Zhao is here?! How did he find us?!"

"Princess Azula, the _Redeemer_ returned to Fire Nation waters only yesterday. It was merely a matter of time before someone discovered our location."

Azula resisted the urge to shout at him, or burn down the room. She took a deep breath and then rather forcefully exhaled. "And it wasn't a "request" to board our ship, was it?"

Iroh shook his head.

"Then we do not say a word about what we're doing here, or that we have found the Avatar. Tell the men, uncle. If so much as one of them slips up, they will answer to me!"

She strode from the room. "Now I must prepare for Zhao's arrival."

* * *

Azula fumed in the small dining room after Iroh had informed the cook to prepare a meal for Zhao. She had not seen the man in several years, even since before her exile, but her blood boiled at the memories.

She recalled him accompanying some of the more undisciplined students of Master Jeong Jeong, taking it upon himself to torment the other pupils such as Azula in the absence of her brother.

This had been before Azula had fully learned how to defend herself in a fight, and so she was more or less a defenseless opponent against him and his thuggish "friends". Many embarrassments on his behalf and a scolding from Master Jeong Jeong resulted from this until several of the noble families whose children had been injured by Zhao's tirade complained to the old firebending teacher, causing him to refuse Zhao any more training.

But that was not the end of Azula's nemesis. Soon afterwards he attended the naval academy, allowing Azula solace in the royal academy where he was not allowed, until he graduated a captain and attended the war meetings her father held, upon which she would see him undoubtedly making snide remarks to his companions concerning his skill in comparison to other firebenders.

Azula was glad when he was finally deployed in the southern seas and she was not subjected to seeing his disgusting presence again.

The most infuriating part of the ordeal was that Zhao _was_ as good as her. He was a talented firebender, learning from many of the same teachers that she had, though more aggressive and ruthless. If collateral damage was not a concern, Zhao could accomplish practically any objective.

And if it was, Zhao pretended to not notice.

Azula sat in the captain's chair as she waited for his appearance, her arms adhered to the armrests as to curb her desire to burn Zhao alive. If she did not appear upset, Zhao could not possibly suspect her search for the Avatar was finally yielding results. On the other hand, if she did not seem unsettled by his arrival, perhaps he would suspect something was wrong anyway with a change in her normal behavior.

She resigned to appearing strong. His presence was merely an annoyance. Perhaps-

Her uncle entered the room, flanked by a serving boy and Azula's nemesis himself. He looked quite different now. Clearly the time abroad had been good to him.

His hair was now well trimmed and in the military uniform of a tight topknot. His beard was carefully groomed, in sharp contrast to the bedraggled stubble he had sported years ago. He looked older now as well, not simply because he was, but instead more mature in appearance.

But then Azula saw the eyes. The eyes of a fiend that she knew Zhao was, the eyes that no amount of care could take away. She recognized them, the same baleful things that were clouded with arrogance. Azula's temper threatened to burst.

"Former princess Azula! I see your search for the Avatar has led you to the outer reaches of the seas. How quaint that that is how your great grandfather ended his search as well."

Azula fought to keep herself still. Her uncle cast a knowing look at her as he offered Zhao a seat at the opposite side of the table.

"I have indeed been searching Zhao. But I am unfortunate," her voice dripped with sarcasm, "to tell you that my search will not be in vain. He has eluded my thus far, but I _will_ find him."

Zhao sighed. "That's _captain_ Zhao, if you would, but your progress – or lack thereof – in this quest of yours is what I have come to hear of."

Azula rose. "Even if I knew of the Avatar's whereabouts, I would still have nothing to say to _you_ Zhao! You know that this is _my_ quest!"

Zhao stood as well, fists clenched. "_Captain_ Zhao! I outrank you princess, and the search for the Avatar is an important task for the Fire Nation, not some teenaged exile! Why it was trusted to _you_ instead of someone with the skill and intelligence required is beyond me."

Azula snarled. She could not contain her temper any longer. "Add it to the long list of things you can't comprehend Zhao! I'm sure even the imperial library cannot contain all of it!"

The pair glared so intensely at each other that Azula thought they would combust. In response she raised a hand and sustained a flame in it, intent to strike at Zhao. He simply spat on the floor.

"You're just an exiled princess! My skill is more than enough to defeat yours!"

But before they could come to blows Iroh stood and spoke quite loudly for the elder man that he was. "Stop! No fighting aboard the ship! If the two of you have cause for a duel, I insist you do it elsewhere!"

Azula withdrew her flame, but refused to sit back down. The words were snarls from behind gritted teeth. "An Agni Kai then, Zhao! The nearest place we land, as soon as the next noon!"

Zhao's barely disguised fury was heard in his response. "I accept."

He left in a hurry. Iroh cast a concerned look at his niece and shooed away the serving boy with the flick of his hand. When they were alone he spoke to Azula in a whisper.

"I hope you know what you're doing Azula. The last Agni Kai did not go so well for you."

"I know uncle, I remember." Her hand lightly traced the scar on her face. It stung.

"This time, I swear it will be different."

* * *

Once again, Azula wore the ceremonial garb of the Agni Kai duelist, thought this time purification rites were performed by her uncle instead of the highest of fire sages.

Her nerves were rushing with adrenaline at the prospect of facing Zhao again. She had heard of his exploits in the years she had not seen him, how he had risen through the ranks of the imperial navy with astonishing speed, and known for his ruthless cruelty and zeal for pursuing his foes.

Yet Azula felt she _had_ to defeat him and continue on her search for the Avatar. She could not allow even the slightest chance of losing this duel. It was simply impossible to accept anything but victory against her nemesis.

She attempted to keep herself calm, breathing in and out again. The words of her uncle echoed in her head, about not letting anger best her and to concentrate. Even the teachings of Master Jeong Jeong, from long ago, came back to her, fighting with her wish to burn down the gate and destroy Zhao where he stood.

The rite was finished. Iroh turned to her, seemingly sensing her conflicted thoughts. "Just remain in control Azula. You can win this, but only as long as you can prevent your anger from clouding your judgment. It is a tool to be controlled, not the other way around."

He gave her a confident smile and patted her on the shoulder. "I believe in you niece."

She had a half smile on her face as he left. Zhao did not stand a chance.

Azula rose from her place and walked into the dueling ring as the gates were opened. She had been rather surprised that this backwater outpost of the Fire Nation had even produced a "proper" Agni Kai ring, but as it had turned out she was rather impressed.

She faced Zhao, who stood at the opposite end of the circle of sand between them. He was an imposing figure in the noonday sun. The impressive physique reminded Azula all too much of her father, and the thought acted as a catalyst to remind her why she needed to win.

Judgment for Zhao was an added bonus.

She eyed her uncle, who closed the distance between Azula and her opponent, until he was evenly spaced halfway between them. With a nod to each, he stepped away and yelled, "Let the Agni Kai begin!"

Zhao and Azula both launched a fireball, each avoiding the other in tandem. Azula shot two more from her outstretched hand, but Zhao was quicker than she anticipated, dodging these two and retaliating with three of his own. She ducked and shot back again.

Zhao continued to either dodge or disperse her attacks, forcing her on the defensive more often than she liked. Frustrated, she launched rapid fire blasts, but admittedly did not expect them to be at all effective.

Indeed, Zhao kicked out a wave of flame to dispel this attack. With a breath, Azula recognized the situation. They were evenly matched here, perhaps the balance in Zhao's favor. Her hatred gave way to reasoning as Iroh's words came to her again. _Think unconventionally_.

She thrust her foot into the sand and flicked it up, launching a spray of dust into Zhao's eyes.

"Gah!" He roared, trying in vain to wipe the substance from his vision. Azula took the initiative to sweep a leg around and catch Zhao off-balance, then pushing him over with a single punch. She smirked as she did so.

As he fell she planted a foot on his bare chest, pinning him down, and a fist aimed at his face. His eyes wide, he did not move, merely breathing heavily as she did. Sweat trickled down her brow.

"Well? Do you yield?" He snarled at her question, then relented. She could not resist a triumphant smile and removed her foot, walking towards Iroh. But suddenly Iroh was not here. He moved impossibly fast, or so Azula assumed for someone of his size and age. She turned as he ran, watching his arm extend to catch Zhao's, who had risen.

A lightning bolt cracked into the sky from Zhao's fingertips.

Disbelieving, Azula stared at Zhao's expression of uncontrolled rage. His attack had been foiled. He cursed rather loudly.

"Zhao! You dare to violate the rules of the Agni Kai?!" Iroh bellowed, more furious than Azula had ever seen him. "You dare to strike when your opponent's back was turned?!"

Zhao did not respond. Iroh continued. "Azula defeated you in honorable combat. Accept it with grace and then move to better yourself for the next time you seek conflict, not attempt to harm your enemy in a dishonorable fashion! It is not the way of the Fire Nation to be as snakes in cowardly strikes, but rather as dragons in the way an Agni Kai is meant to be!"

Zhao's composure seemed to break at last. "What would you know of the Fire Nation's ways Iroh?! Times have changed! Your father no longer commands the might of our armies! Your time as the Dragon of the West ended when you deserted your post in the Siege of Ba Sing Se!"  
He spat into the sand. "You are merely a worthless old man incapable of continuing a fight when your family is in the crossfire!"

He raised a fist aimed at Azula, but Iroh merely punched him in the ribs, causing him to crumble back to the ground. "You disgust me Zhao. You had so much potential. Wasted." He gave a swift kick and Zhao grunted in pain.

Iroh waved for the servant boys, and pointed at Zhao's body. "Please take him away. Unless I do not know my own strength he will be out for a day at the least." As Azula watched them leave, Iroh turned to her.

"I am proud of you princess." His smile was radiant. "You have done well. Zhao is not an easy foe, and you kept your temper when you needed to."

Azula returned his smile. Though it felt odd in combination with her scar, the pride that came to her more than made up for it. She had not felt that particular emotion in some time. A small part of her wondered why that was, but she pushed it to the back of her mind as she followed Iroh. It felt good, and that was all there was to it.

She smiled all the way back to the ship.

* * *

Days later, Azula stood on the bow of the _Redeemer_, overlooking the last traces of the arctic sunset. The solace that came with the location under the twilight star soothed her anger.

She had learned that Zhao had ordered his own men to interrogate the crew of the _Redeemer_ while the Agni Kai rites were being performed. Had he not been stopped by uncle Iroh, Azula suspected Zhao would have forced her to confess her information of the Avatar personally.

The calm waves merely brushed against the steel of the ship. It had a hypnotic effect on Azula, and once again the praise that she had received from Iroh came to her. She was much more pleased than she would admit to a soul, as she knew that her uncle did not give such things lightly, eccentric and passive as he was.

And of course, the sweet satisfaction of defeating Zhao was its own reward. How she had wanted to crush him beneath her heel, all those years ago. To be given the opportunity and to take it merely a day afterward gave her a thrill.

With Zhao's interference neutralized, she could focus on finding the Avatar, assuming nothing else came to bother her. She walked back to the command room and found the stash of imperial navy maps that she had stored before Zhao's arrival.

Assuming that the maps were not outdated (which admittedly was not likely given the inactivity in the southern seas), two settlements were nearby the Avatar's predicted path. Azula guessed that they would stop _somewhere_ to resupply and rest, and the settlements proved the safest bet as they were not controlled by the Fire Nation.

One was an Earth Kingdom village apparently called Kitan, and notes scrawled on the side reported it as a mining settlement. Given how remote it was, Azula wondered absentmindedly how long it would be before one of the various Fire Nation raid vessels landed there and razed the place. If Zhao was on her trail (which was more than likely, she admitted), he would stop there first.

She made a mental note to return at the earliest opportunity as she turned to the other village.

Nothing was present in form of notes, and only the words "Kyoshi Village" were scrawled next to the location on the map. Though she could not place it, the name sounded familiar to Azula, and when she saw that it was an island not even in Earth Kingdom territory, she wondered if the Avatar would go there first.

The name bothered her, though. She _should_ know what it was. She scolded herself as she walked into her uncle's bedchamber once again. He did not look surprised to see her anymore, something that she found amusing, but he greeted her with a smile nonetheless.

"Ah, Azula! What do you need?" She showed him the map and pointed to the location of Kyoshi Village in particular. "Uncle, does this name mean anything to you? I recognized it from somewhere, but I don't know-"

His eyes widened. "That's Kyoshi! As in, _Avatar_ Kyoshi! That must be where they buried her after she died hundreds of years ago."

He looked at her. "If the Avatar was to go anywhere nearby, that's where he would be Azula." She nodded. "Thank you uncle. I'll inform the helmsman immediately."

She strode out of the room and found the person in question. "Plot a course for this small village."

And as Azula walked from the bridge she found that she could not help herself. "And if you encounter any more Fire Nation ships, politely sink them before they hold you hostage."

* * *

After a brief sleep, Azula was awakened by the feeling of the _Redeemer_ setting down anchor. She put on her armor and woke several of her most intimidating (which admittedly were not very imposing figures) from the hold and ordered the lowering of the walkway onto the dock.

As she stepped onto the wooden pier, a small, almost obscenely short man in an obnoxious blue uniform came to greet her, though Azula herself wondered exactly how much of a greeting she would actually receive.

"Welcome to Kyoshi Island. And if you would politely excuse me, what business do you have on our island?"

He had a nasally voice that bothered Azula. "We have simply come to refuel. We will be gone by tomorrow." His face showed suspicion, though this was hardly surprising. Azula had anticipated this.

"We don't accept Fire Nation currency. Or ships, for that matter. The Earth Kingdom has specifically forbade-" She interrupted him with a sting in her speech.

"The maps show this island being out of Earth Kingdom boundaries, and as you are not a colony, nor are you bearing the Earth Kingdom colors," she pointed to the flag currently flying over the dock house, which was a mere white shirt in the breeze, "you are fortunate that you receive any visitors at all."

She crossed her arms, a position of power she knew the man would recognize. "And if you wish to not barter with us, perhaps you would prefer it if we take what we want and burn the rest of it down?" Her closest companion lit a small flame in his palm. Azula made another mental note to promote him.

The villager paled. "Th-that won't be necessary! We'll get you whatever you need, right away miss!"

He scampered off into the distance, shouting things at some other dockworkers and passersby.

Azula smiled once again.

* * *

As soon as the supplies were loaded onto the _Redeemer_, Azula ordered the helmsman to take the ship out of sight of any village on the island and stay until she gave the signal to return via flare.

"With all due respect princess Azula, why-?"

"Because the Avatar is due to arrive here, if he has not already. And I'll not let him escape. You would do best to follow my orders instead of questioning them."

She turned and followed Iroh and a few of the others into the village square, where they visited several market stalls (to the dismay of their owners) until resigning to a hotel for the night.

No one that they had talked to mentioned something as extravagant as the Avatar visiting the village, so either he was not coming or he had not arrived yet. The thought was troublesome to Azula, but after consolation from Iroh she agreed to wait until the next night to abandon the search on the island.

* * *

Night passed without concern, and in the morning Azula set out with her uncle to explore the rest of the island, in the case that the Avatar had avoided the village they had already investigated.

The search yielded little, and other than a boy, most likely from one of the other villages, being attacked by an odd fish-like creature called an unagi, nothing seemed to be going on that was worth Azula's time. How disappointing.

Azula eventually sat down on a rock overlooking the market square of whatever village they were perched nearby and gave her men free will until the evening. Her uncle wandered off into the village, undoubtedly to find some tea in this Agni-forsaken place, leaving her to her quiet thoughts.

She wondered, suddenly, why the Fire Nation had not yet attacked this place, seeing as how it had clearly never had so much as a merchant ship pass by. Surely Zhao, or even another ambitious and cruel Fire Nation seafarer, had ordered an attack here? To spare such a defenseless target was not something the Fire Nation or any of its soldiers were encouraged to do, as Azula's scar could testify.

Perhaps the island had some sort of defense, then? It would explain how it was able to survive both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom's efforts, if they had occurred at all.

Azula stood and walked about on the hillside. The fresh air and the breeze helped her to think. However much she missed her homeland, the Fire Nation did not have air in this supply or nature. She found a dirt path and followed it for a while, letting her thoughts roam again.

But what kind of defense could the island have that she had not already seen? In fact, what had stopped said defense force from inhibiting her to walk across their home, as she was doing quite brazenly even at the moment?

Maybe they were scared of her?

Azula doubted that. Even the southern water tribe, lacking but a single teenaged warrior who was clearly as inexperienced as one could be, stood up to her threats. No, this island had something to protect it, Azula was sure. She just had to find out what it was.

* * *

An hour of walking proved uneventful for the exiled princess, as she discovered little in the way of things noteworthy. She had not seen so much as a soul along the path. Absentmindedly she wondered if people even still used this path up the mountainside.

It was not until she had eaten the food she had "negotiated" from the market shop in town that she found something interesting. As she lay on a rock gazing up at the sky, pondering where the Avatar could be, she found that the answer was unexpectedly obvious.

Among the clouds was a flying shape of white and brown, moving faster than the objects around it. Azula at first believed it to be the Avatar's sky bison, but questioned her judgment due to the sheer absurdity of such an appearance. But as the thing flew closer to the mountainside, eventually landing in a clearing below Azula's perch, there was no mistaking it.

The Avatar had arrived.

Azula thought rapidly. If she signaled the _Redeemer_ to return with the other troops, she would likely also inform the Avatar of her presence, as well as forcing whatever was protecting the island to reveal itself at last.

She should not, then, expose herself so soon. She packed up her lunch and sprinted down the mountain path back towards the village, and after some time she arrived out of breath at the bottom of the mountain. She looked about for her uncle or any of her soldiers, but could find none.

Azula walked into town and then to the door of the village's tavern. Inside she found Iroh and three other soldiers playing paisho amidst what smelled like an awful brew of tea. Her uncle looked up at her with a faint expression of confusion at her frowning face, but before he could question her arrival she spoke.

"The Avatar is here. I saw him flying over the mountaintop." The soldiers, and even some of the other tavernfolk, uttered shocked exclamations. Her uncle raised an eyebrow.

"Gather the men uncle. We move out _now_." As the men packed up their paisho game (in irritated reluctance, Azula noticed), Azula turned to the barkeeper and his patrons.

"This is official Fire Nation business. Do not interfere if you value your homes."

She exited the tavern and waited for her men to follow, and after they did she lead them back to the docks of the first village they had seen. She lit the signal and a bellowing fog horn was heard in response.

She turned to her uncle with a half-smile. "Only a few hours, uncle, and the Avatar will be mine at last."

* * *

As it turned out, the villagers did seem to value their homes. Much more than Azula had anticipated, in fact, as not a soul had ventured to challenge her when she moved her firebenders into the village where her uncle predicted the Avatar would go first: the largest on the island, with a statue to the fallen Avatar Kyoshi in the center.

She had told her uncle to stay with the soldiers at the city hall, where the strongest of her firebenders were located in their hiding places for reinforcements should the Avatar refuse to accompany Azula. She remembered how he had surrendered to her in a noble, albeit stupid, effort to spare the Southern Water Tribe. Azula scoffed at the idea even as she remembered it. The South Pole was so weak it could be conquered in mere days by any competent military.

But that was the Avatar's weakness, of course. Saving people.

Azula spared herself the ironic thoughts of how she believed to do the same. But she knew that the Avatar would destroy her people to bring balance to the world. She could not allow it.

And so she stood there, in the twilight sun, waiting for the Avatar to arrive. She had set a fire near the statue of Avatar Kyoshi, and in all honesty she had only left it standing by her uncle's request.

Eventually, just as the sun was about to set below the mountainside, the flying creature the Avatar kept as a mount came into view.

Azula smiled after a devious chuckle.

Her objective of the Avatar's capture was planned to be a nonviolent one. She wholeheartedly believed he would leave without conflict. But in her mind, she secretly wished for him to confront her. She _wanted_ him to try and escape.

Azula's redemption in the eyes of the Fire Nation was her primary goal. But after the trouble that had been caused for her by the boy she hunted, her pride had been wounded. It was humbling, but frustrating as well. As such, a more driving motive, a more _personal_ one had formed for her to defeat this Last Airbender.

Revenge.

* * *

So there it is. Rate and review please! I'll get on the next chapter so you guys don't have to suffer through that cliffhanger _too_ much.

Bwahahaha. Etc.


	5. Chapter V - Burning Bridges

THE DISHONORED PRINCESS

CHAPTER V – BURNING BRIDGES

* * *

A pretty short chapter, but I figured that if I was to be serious about being back from the (writing) grave I'd better show some more progress.

So here it is! Enjoy!

* * *

The Avatar approached princess Azula in the setting sun of the village market. He wore a sharp display of fierceness on his face, and especially given the disadvantage that his position granted, Azula was quite impressed.

"I was wondering when you would arrive Avatar. I was afraid I would have to burn down this entire village myself before you would come to face me."

The boy grimaced and stood his ground after he had reached a distance of a few paces from her. There was fear mixed with determination in his gaze.

"I'm not running this time firebender. Whatever you want with me, these people have nothing to do with it!"

Azula merely shrugged.

"You are not incorrect. But they _are_ useful tools. Tools I intend to use for my purpose." She turned to the city hall with another half-smile. "Lee! Now!"

The building erupted into flames as her firebenders rushed out of their hiding space. A touch of annoyance found Azula as she realized Iroh was not present, but she pushed it from her mind. Her moment of capture would not be sullied by her uncle's pacifism.

"If you wish to save this village boy, I suggest you defeat me swiftly." She noted more buildings erupting in embers as she spoke. The boy flicked his wrist and the staff he had used to combat her in the south pole flicked into view. She grinned and conjured twin fireballs in her palms.

A quick exchange of air and fire occurred first. Azula attempted to defeat her opponent quickly, but remembered his ability to disrupt most of her attacks as she did so. Iroh's words returned to her yet again.

The Avatar would seek, most likely, to protect the village from destruction. This meant he would overwhelm her, given the chance. However, if she merely avoided him, he would be forced to act hastily. And by extension, into her hands.

She backed up and allowed him to gain ground with jets of air that she dodged. She admitted his surge of aggression was more difficult to deal with, but after Zhao she was quite sure that she could handle that form of attack.

Nearby, two of her soldiers saw her duel and ran to assist her, only to be blasted away by the Avatar's staff, while a third was thrown into the wall of a building behind her. She made a mental note to stay away from the weapon at all costs.

Azula continued to play on the defensive, merely avoiding the Avatar's strikes or forcing them to dissipate with her own fire blasts.

But, as they always seemed to do, her plan went awry within moments. A group of figures appeared rapidly behind the Avatar, engaging her own soldiers. She did not wish to distract herself from the Avatar, but even from her limited view she could see that her forces were not winning the fight.

Quickly she sidestepped the Avatar's next staff blow and rolled around him, and as she was convinced he was surprised, she ran to the group of newcomers.

They were clad in strange outfits, appearing to be ceremonial dresses with metal plating. They wielded golden fans that looked as though they had no place in combat, but as Azula saw, they were more than able to outmaneuver and strike her firebenders, knocking them to the ground and effectively incapacitating them before they could get a single fireball into the fray.

_Damn_, Azula thought. _I'll need to take care of them._

She managed to brandish the element of surprise as she advanced on them launching fireballs at their position. Though most were quick enough to reflexively duck, one was unfortunate amongst the group and was knocked back.

In response, the collective of the fighters (six including the one who fell, Azula counted), procured a small golden shield from their odd dress/armor outfit to protect themselves from Azula's fire, forcing her to adjust her strategy.

Two of the closest advanced on Azula with astonishing speed as the others assisted the fallen figure. The pair brandished their golden fans in an effort to strike at Azula, but the princess moved faster. She ducked to avoid the first, and used the momentum from this action to kick out at her other opponent, knocking them down.

She dodged another strike from the first attacker, but this time her speed failed her as a follow-up blow hit her in the arm. There was a sharp sting from the blow, but Azula knew better than to let the pain distract her. She shot several more fireballs to buy herself time to react.

Azula heard movement behind her and turned in time to avoid a third assailant's attack, to which she rolled to the side and away from the group. She noted four fighters, instead of the original six, and flicked her gaze to the side, finding the injured fighter leaning on the shoulders of another.

She let down a wave of fire to force her attackers to back away, then dashed inside the nearest building. Two of the dress-wearing warriors followed her, but she dealt with them by kicking a burning table to the ground, interrupting any action they had planned on enacting.

Azula shot some more fireballs at them before turning and ascending the stairs to the second floor. At the sound of pursuit she exhumed a jet of flame that ignited the stairs, and then ran to the windows to see the battlefield.

The remaining dress-warriors were fighting the remainder of Azula's firebending soldiers, while she spotted the Avatar help a waterbender in blue tribal garments to put out the fires on the buildings opposite the one Azula herself was standing in.

Azula reasoned that the Avatar would return to the fight quickly enough; thusly, she needed to come up with a new distraction for him. She leaped from the window onto the roof of the building, then ran across the thatching to a lower elevation on the adjacent building, finally jumping to the ground and rolling to break her fall.

Her breath now coming in ragged spurts, she ran to the Avatar's location and launched more fireballs at the boy and the girl, hoping at the very least to draw their attention away from the burning buildings.

The girl backed away, but the Avatar, motioned for her to stay. "I'll deal with her! Just put out the fires!"

Azula backed away from him as he resumed his aggressive stratagem, but with a plan in mind she rethought her own tactics. She rolled to avoid a hit from his staff, then closed the distance and moved to kick him in the legs to break his balance.

He reacted faster than she had anticipated and blocked it with his staff, then shooting a jet of wind that threw her into the air. She flew a few paces into the sand and scrambled to stand… only to find that he had run past her to the group of fighters she had already left.

Her plan seemed to melt down as she observed his aid in the dress-wearing warriors' fight destroy what little presence her soldiers had in the battle, either forcing them into the ground or throwing them through various nearby buildings.

But an unexpected stroke of good fortune found Azula at last. The recognizable blast of a ship's horn – the _Redeemer's_ – sounded loudly above the clamor of battle. Azula spotted the ship as it entered the harbor, and as the ramming targe was lowered onto the sand more of her soldiers disembarked to join the battle.

Evidently this was not unnoticed by the Avatar, who ceased his attacks against the firebenders and leaped into the air, flying towards the girl in the blue clothing, and then running with her into the nearest building.

_Is the Avatar trying to escape?_ Azula wondered, as she followed them in pursuit. If such was the case, she would need to find them before they could reach their sky bison lest the search she had been subjected to for the past week find her again.

However, in her haste to seize her objective, Azula failed to notice another warrior clad in an armored green dress before it was too late; the golden fan that the warrior sported caught Azula in the chest and knocked her to the floor and drove the breath from her lungs.

She panted as she tried to stand, but could not find the strength to do so. The warrior looked down on her, and Azula realized that it was a woman, no, a _girl_ wearing excessive makeup to resemble a kabuki mask not unlike the ones worn by the theater performers from Azula's homeland.

Curious fascination held Azula's gaze for a second too long, it seemed, as the warrior merely scowled and planted a boot hard into Azula's stomach, causing her to gasp, before she ran from the building to join her fellow warriors.

Azula swore yet another oath of vengeance that moment.

As soon as she could breathe again, Azula stood and uneasily leaned on a pillar outside the building, trying to get her senses back and find her soldiers in the hazy vision she now possessed.

The warriors in dresses had effectively driven her own soldiers back to the beaches, despite the reinforcements brought by the _Redeemer_. Azula looked to the sky and saw the white sky bison already accelerating into the distance. She cursed and hobbled to the clearing, still clutching her chest.

"Everyone! Back to the ship!"

The few that could hear her spread the word rather quickly given the circumstances, and dragged the wounded back to the ship as fast as they could, while Azula stood her ground against the dress warriors.

They did not react as the firebenders retreated, however. Azula did not question it, as she realized that in her now-quite angry state she could most likely not reason very well, and merely focused on returning to the _Redeemer_ without further incident.

She boarded the ship and walked agonizingly to the bridge, where she ordered the fastest route following the sky bison's direction. The helmsman acknowledged this warily, apparently expecting a reprimand for some failure he had overlooked, but Azula was too exhausted to think of a punishment.

She stumbled back to her bedchamber and collapsed on the bed.

* * *

Azula awoke with a sore ribcage and hot tea on her bedside table. Though she would never admit it, she actually was thankful for Iroh's herbal remedies. The awful taste was made up for by the healing properties its contents possessed.

Her chest still ached. She immediately regretted trying to sit up and instead focused her efforts on thinking.

She noticed the door of her bedchamber open and reveal her uncle's entrance. He carried another tray of steaming tea, and set it down next to the other cup that was already present on her table.

"How do you feel princess? Still a bit shaky?"

Azula found that her voice was surprisingly weak. "Better."

She coughed, to her body's chagrin. "Uncle? Who were those warriors on the island? How did-Gah!"

Her throat constricted, causing another spasm of coughs. Iroh held a cup of tea to her lips and she drank from it painfully slow. As he sat back down he merely looked at her with a pleasant concern.

"Those girls were the Warriors of Kyoshi, or so I believe. They are a group of defenders for the island and especially the villagers in Avatar Kyoshi's shadow."

Azula frowned despite her pain. She and her firebenders had been defeated by schoolgirls?

Then again, the knowledge that the Avatar was younger than Azula herself was already mortifying, so this concept did not boggle her mind as much as she would have anticipated.

"But do not trouble yourself niece. They are far away now, and the _Redeemer_ is following the Avatar's course as best as we can manage. _Rest._"

The word had a hypnotic command on Azula. She fell asleep to Iroh's silence quickly.

* * *

For the first time in a very long while, dreams came to Azula's sleeping mind.

Unlike the dreams she remembered, however, this one was oddly vivid, as if she were actually seeing it rather than witnessing it in the hazy realm of the dreamscape. She was in a field of beautiful flowers and a pool of shining blue, flanked by ornate ivory walls with Fire Nation architecture surrounding them.

It reminded her of the Grove of Elder Lilies, the way the sunlight glistened across the water's reflective surface. She appeared to be alone in the place, but she could hear many voices all at once; indistinct, unfocused, but definitely a multitude of people in speech.

Then from the opposite side of the grove a figure emerged. It was clad in flowing crimson robes, not unlike that of the royal robes that Azula herself had once worn when she had still held her honor high.

An ancient, fierce male face stared at her as he stopped. It was a gaze that seemed to see through Azula, to something she could not. When the man spoke, it was with a booming voice, though strangely it did not menacing or foreboding as she would have thought.

"The day is near when the sanctuary of the fallen Avatar shall once again be opened. Fire shall meet ice, and through these the doors shall be entered."

The man's face vanished, and following this the grove world melded into blackness.

Azula awoke feeling incredibly disoriented. The bewilderment, however, was crushed by a more pressing desire to rest, as the headache threatened to return if she thought too much. Azula turned onto her opposite shoulder and laid her head to rest.

This time, a much more pleasant dream involving a summer trip with her family to Ember Island was seen. Azula smiled in her sleep.

* * *

Same stuff.

Rate and review please!


	6. Chapter VI - Breaking Will

THE DISHONORED PRINCESS

CHAPTER VI – BREAKING WILL

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I'm back!

This one's a bit longer than the previous chapter, so I hope it will whet your appetite until I can get to the next installment.

Enjoy!

* * *

A torturous cycle of Azula waking up with a throbbing pain in her body and being force fed awful tasting tea (even if it numbed the pain) continued for several days until finally she had had enough of it.

"Uncle! I will be fine!"

She shouted at him on the sixth day of this madness, before walking out of her chamber and onto the deck of the _Redeemer_ to breathe in the fresh air.

It hit her like a wave, cool and glorious. Finally, something refreshing.

But the feeling subsided as Azula's eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight outside and she managed to see their surroundings. A dull roar of questions appeared in her mind related to the Avatar, but for once Azula chose to ignore such things.

She was much more concerned with where the _Redeemer_ was located, as she recognized nothing of the dock that they currently occupied.

"Uncle? Where are we?"

Apparently nonplussed over her change in emotion, her uncle came to her side almost immediately.

"Well, you might not like this princess, but we are docked at a very friendly Earth Kingdom village that generously offered us the room for free."

Azula took a deep breath, let it out, and clenched her teeth. She made her best effort to remain calm.

"And the Avatar?" She asked, in as controlled a tone as possible.

She saw Iroh's countenance lighten just a little bit. He seemed relieved she had not tried to burn something.

"He has, ah, _escaped_, but before you become too frustrated Princess, we have learned valuable information concerning his whereabouts."

"And what might that be?"

"While you were asleep Princess, it seems the Avatar found a Fire Nation outpost in the Earth Kingdom for the internment of local earthbenders. He and his colleagues completely dismantled the outpost after instigating a riot among the villagers nearby."

Azula processed this silently.

"After this, the Avatar travelled west – _towards_ the Fire Nation, mind you, several days later, having visited the small Senlin Village before this. "

"Could you get to the point Uncle?"

Iroh frowned.

"My point niece, is that not only do we know where the Avatar is going, we could secure an advantage quite easily. The Avatar is obligated to save villages in danger, is he not?"

Azula nodded.

"Since he is travelling over ground, that is, the majority of the Earth Kingdom, he will be slowed significantly. We are travelling by sea in a steam powered vessel, and moreover, they believe we cannot follow them."

Azula thought over this for several moments. It was true, and if she were honest with herself, quite impressive given Iroh's usual lack of interest in her quest. This raised its own question, one that she asked her uncle.

"With all due respect Uncle, I am simply curious. Normally you seem to show little concern over my capture of the Avatar. Why help me now?"

Her uncle seemed to wince, as though he had expected this. Nevertheless, a kind expression quickly overtook his face.

"You are a remarkable young woman Princess. It was a shame that your father thought to exile you before learning of your true potential." Azula blushed, but remained silent.

"It is my hope that this journey to find and capture the Avatar will give you some measure of peace, perhaps maturity that will help you calm your spirit, as wounded as I feel that it is."

"I admit, I do not think much of this quest of yours. I believe that your father merely threw your life away on a hunt that is much more difficult than even I could fathom, but I will support you as much as I can. My favorite niece's wellbeing is more important to me than any form of prestige that the Fire Nation can give me."

Uncharacteristically, Azula was momentarily taken aback.

"T-thank you Uncle."

Iroh merely hugged her and smiled.

"Think nothing of it Princess. Now if you will excuse me, I have some Pai Sho bets to collect from the crew."

He turned to leave when he stopped, raising a hand against the doorframe of the _Redeemer's_ crew quarters.

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot."

He dug in his satchel and procured a small necklace of a sort. It was merely a leather band with a silver sphere embedded in the front. Azula assumed it was simply some trinket Iroh had found before he explained.

"In the remains of the Fire Nation outpost that the Avatar had found, one of our men found this. I believe it belongs to one of the Avatar's companions. If you wished to track him, for example, by shirshu, this would be quite useful."

He gave the necklace to Azula and left without another word.

Azula was still thinking about such things by the time the sun began to set on the bow of the _Redeemer_.

* * *

The next day Azula awoke quite early to think of a plan. She had a map of the known world at her desk where she sat, almost glaring at intently as she thought.

The information available was that the Avatar was flying west. This struck Azula as odd, given that if _she_ had been the Avatar, the capital of the Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se, and its location in the northern region of the continent, would have been a far more desirable target.

What could the Avatar be searching for west? Little was there besides simple villages, farmers, or perhaps a small trading post for the fortunate sailor.

Azula had eventually decided some hour later that the best solution to this concern was to land at the next port and determine if there was more to the Avatar's journey than a simple compass degree.

The idea of shirshu-aided search, as suggested by her uncle, had also not escaped Azula. She knew of their legendary tracking abilities, though how to acquire the services of one was unknown even to her. Moreover, she desired not the Avatar's location, but rather where he was going. A race on the back of the tracking beasts would never be fast enough to intercept a flying sky bison.

However, the mere mention of such an idea by her uncle was oddly touching. Azula made a mental note to thank him more equally once the Avatar was securely in chains at the Fire Palace.

* * *

That night, as the _Redeemer_ cruised into port at a small Earth Kingdom village, Azula strode across the gangplank with her uncle and two of her crewmembers.

It had _originally_ been Azula's full intention to merely find clues of the Avatar's whereabouts, but her uncle had stumbled upon a plateau containing hot springs not unlike those found in the Fire Nation, then insisting that they spend the night there instead of on the "uncomfortable, cold, ship".

Grudgingly, Azula missed the comfort of heated sleep, as most of the steam aboard the _Redeemer_ was used to power the engines instead of providing personal luxuries. Additionally, she reasoned that the least she could show in gratitude to her uncle for his help was allowing him this opportunity. Once, at least.

After "persuading" the local innkeeper to provide cloth blankets, Azula, Iroh, and several other members of the crew slept near the hot springs, or rather, they _attempted_ to. Azula was reminded why many chose to allow Iroh his own quarters. His snoring grew to be more obnoxiously loud than the whine of a Fire Nation airship, only more unpredictable in nature.

* * *

The next morning, Azula was determined to make up for lost time, and no sooner had the sun arisen did she wake up the remainder of her slumbering crew.

"I want the _Redeemer_ full speed ahead within the next hour! If you're not aboard then you _will_ be left behind!"

The added threat seemed to spur even the most sluggish of the crew. All that is, save her uncle.

He stubbornly refused to be moved from the hot springs, where he simply lay, naked, and evidently enjoying himself.

"That includes you, uncle." Azula had told him in an exhausted tone of voice. She had felt the familiar surge of anger mixed with impatience, but it was simply too early in the morning to become overly frustrated.

"Oh, I won't be long Princess. A half hour, at the most."

She merely shook her head and returned to the village to "find" food for the crew.

* * *

Those who knew Azula would attest to the knowledge that she rarely made threats that she did not act on, and though even she did not have the coldness of heart to leave her uncle behind on some Agniforsaken Earth Kingdom hill, she refused to look spineless in front of her crew.

It was about an hour after she had scolded him for his bath when she returned to the site of the incident to find… well, nothing at all, really. No trace of him appeared to exist at all.

This was all the more concerning given that none of the crew reported his coming aboard the _Redeemer_ at any point during the sequence of events surrounding the readying of the ship to depart. Azula searched in earnest to find her uncle, but for several tense minutes found nothing.

It was not as if he had simply walked away, with neither clothing nor shoes to speak of. And the village was not bold enough to attack the old general for his involvement in invading the Earth Kingdom years earlier, even if they had recognized him despite his considerable aging since then.

That is, until Azula found a small sandal some distance away from the springs.

It looked to belong to a Fire Nation citizen, and after unfortunately nearing close enough to detect a significantly foul stench, Azula assumed her uncle had not parted consensually with it.

Near the sandal were tracks belonging to a bird of some sort, large and heavy, it seemed. Azula racked her brains for information from her geographical instruction back home in the Fire Nation. Ostrich horses? Possible.

She also remembered that they saw use by the Earth Kingdom military. She grimaced.

After sending a messenger hawk to the _Redeemer_ with orders to occupy the village until her return, Azula set off to follow the tracks of her uncle's captors.

It was tedious work, looking for the tracks amidst the dirt and general lack of vegetation in the Earth Kingdom landscape, but her desire to find her uncle and resume the search for the Avatar overrode her boredom.

Whoever had abducted him had likely done so while he was asleep, as she reasoned that few could do so while he was watching. A small sigh escaped her at this thought.

Her uncle inspired a wide range of emotions in her, it seemed.

* * *

Azula guessed that half an hour had transpired by the time she had located her uncle's kidnappers. They were indeed Earth Kingdom soldiers, three of them, and were in the process of discussing some topic that apparently required language used only by very angry men.

Azula did not have the patience or concern for their conversation to sneak around them, and simply ran into the clearing from behind a nearby boulder to shoot fire at them.

Immediately one of the soldiers toppled, clutching the spot in his ribs where the fire had scorched him, complaining as loudly as he had shouted during his discussion with his fellows, and the other two attempted to mount a defense using earthbending, but it was too late.

Azula was in no mood to be slowed down.

She carried herself with forward momentum to slam into the soldier to the right of the one she had incapacitated, knocking him over, and then delivered a kick to the legs of the other, collapsing him as well. When the soldier first to fall arose again to try for an opening, Azula brought her heel to his chest to ensure he did not stand up too quickly.

She turned her attention to her uncle, who had been chained near a rocky cliff face and was still, regrettably for Azula, without clothing. Maneuvering herself in a manner that disallowed her sight of embarrassing objects, she melted the chains binding Iroh's hands and he destroyed the rest of his bindings himself, then retrieved his belongings from a bag near the soldiers' ostrich horses, who were despite witnessing their masters' defeat, surprisingly calm.

With her back to her uncle so as to avoid further misfortune, Azula scolded him.

"I hope you are finished with Earth Kingdom hospitality enough to return with us."

Iroh merely chuckled. It was infuriating to Azula, though to be fair, most of the things she encountered in her life warranted a similar reaction.

"Thank you for the rescue Azula. I swear on the Fire Lord that I will try to not delay us further. Though, if I may present an opinion…"

Azula turned around to see him (Thank Agni, fully clothed) pointing at the ostrich horses.

"It would be faster if we took the mounts of our _friends_ (he said the word with genuine concern, for some reason), but I fear such a thing would be less than merciful."

Azula scoffed at him, walking to the ostrich horses. She untied them, then kicked the hind quarters of one nearest her, forcing it to scamper away.

"I have already shown them mercy by sparing their worthless lives. They were lucky I was in such a hurry to rescue you, uncle."

She mounted one of the creatures and gestured to the last for her uncle to use.

"Let's leave this place, uncle. I tire of the Earth Kingdom."

"Not to be ungrateful Princess, but do you truly believe that these ostrich horses can fully support the, eh, _burden_ of someone like me?"

"Just get on the damned animal uncle! We are wasting time!"

"Of course, of course."

They rode the rest of the ride in silence. Azula out of anger and Iroh out of fear of arousing his niece's further ire.

* * *

The return to the village was more satisfying than Azula could have imagined.

Apparently one of the villagers from a settlement the Avatar had visited not even two days ago had stumbled onto the _Redeemer's_ crew, who in addition to being irate for being outed from their comfortable rest so early in the morning, were uplifted by finding something of worth to their foul-mannered captain.

Azula was somewhat proud that she inspired such an image. Somewhat.

When she had learned of this, she had ordered the villager onto the _Redeemer_ and into her personal quarters for interrogation, though in reality she had little to ask and more to tell.

She grabbed the man by the soft spun front of his tunic and threw him against the wall adjacent her desk, to establish a beginning to their short relationship.

"The Avatar passed by your village recently, yes?"

The man nodded, rapidly, fearfully.

"For what purpose?"

"He-he-" The man spat out a mouthful of blood that he had sustained in the throw.

"He had seen a spirit, or a daemon, or something mystical like that. It had stolen his friend from their camp with, eh, with a _flying sky bison!_" He described the creature as though it were a fierce monster of war, though Azula suspected his simple mind could only comprehend such things being warlike figures as opposed to vessels of transportation.

"And where did he go after this?"

"West, to-" He frowned, brows furrowed. He looked genuinely forgetful, so Azula watched in silence. The man's face lit up moments later.

"To the Fire Temple! West, to the Temple in the Fire Nation! For a dream about another Avatar!"

He smiled in a flash of happiness, then the smile vanished as quickly as had it arrived.

"That's all I know miss, I swear! I don't know anything else!"

Azula thought about this information for some time, then looked at the villager again.

His face was indicative of his nature. Simple, predictable.

Pathetic.

Azula saw what she imagined her own father saw when he thought of the various people of the world. Those who could be swayed by anyone to bend in any which way, who possessed to spine or steel of their own, relying on their leaders to hold their hands as they stumbled through their lives.

She pitied him for a moment, then despised him the next. Leaders (like she) were meant to find such people and harness them for their own will, lest they be controlled by another, or so Azula had been taught from the youngest of ages.

Yet how could she proudly say that she led a constituency of such weak minded fools? What glory could come of a nation of idiots?

It was curious, but ultimately her desire to find the Avatar took the place of this yet another moment later.

"You may leave."

The man's mouth fell open.

"Thank you miss, thank y-"

"Go now, and quietly, before I change my mind."

He did as he was told. A guard outside the room opened the door and led the man off the ship.

Azula sat alone in her room for an imperceptible amount of time and eventually walked up to the bridge of the _Redeemer. _Examining the world map again, Azula thought of what the man had said.

_A Temple in the Fire Nation! For a dream about another Avatar!_

The words were strange. She had little reason to mistrust them; the man had feared for his life.

Another Avatar? Surely he meant Roku, the Avatar before the Air Nomad boy. If such was the case, then the Temple of the Fire Sages was the destination she sought, though only with one problem: the route to reach the island was often patrolled by Fire Navy warships, so as to secure the borders.

Infiltration was the only safe option, though not by much.

Azula returned to her quarters and thought about this until she fell asleep.

* * *

The following morning Azula awoke and went through her now daily routine of meditation and warm tea. Even she admitted that the taste of the soothing beverage calmed her chaotic thoughts, though the anger that drove her to hunt the Avatar and prove her worth to the Fire Nation and her father was still quite prevalent in her mind.

At breakfast her uncle entered her quarters.

"Princess, I understand that we are en route to the Temple of the Fire Sages."

Azula nodded. At her silence her uncle grew visibly disquieted.

"Such a course, naturally, would require us to voyage along the patrol routes of the Fire Navy."

Azula nodded again. Iroh frowned.

"Princess, I do not mean to question your wishes-"

"Then don't."

"-but this is not a wise decision, if you were to ask me."

"I didn't."

Her uncle sighed, rubbing his temples with his palm. Truly, it brought no pleasure to Azula to exasperate her uncle like this, but she saw no other way to reach the Avatar's apparent destination and catch him unawares.

"Uncle, you said yourself that the Avatar was unlikely to be defeated in personal combat. I would need stealth, guile, or some other advantage in my possession to even have a chance at victory." She said, sincerely.

"This is that chance uncle. We know where the Avatar is going to be and we can reach it faster than he can. This could be the only opportunity that presents itself."

Iroh sighed again.

"Infiltration such as this will not be easy. If we are caught, you will surely be arrested, and I will not be able to intervene."

Azula shrugged.

"Be that as it may. That is the course I must accept. That _we_ must accept." She stood.

"Besides, my father would understand that we are searching for the Avatar."

Her uncle staggered as though wounded.

"You give your father too much credit. I have never known him to be the 'understanding' type."

He left without anything else to say. Azula was tempted to follow him, but decided against it. There was little she could say, or so she imagined, that would sooth her uncle's concerns.

Secretly, she shared them, but in the face of the finding and capturing the Avatar, and with it restoring her honor, she could not let anything, especially something as trivial as fear of her arrest stay her feet.

The Avatar would be hers. She was sure of it.

* * *

Sometime later Azula was again brought news.

One of her soldiers approached her quarters and announced his presence before she opened the door for him.

"At ease. What have you brought me?"

"It's the Avatar. We've spotted him, miss."

Azula ran to the deck of the _Redeemer_. She ordered the nearest helmsman to give her a telescoping lens, and she spotted the Avatar's sky bison, a speck amongst the blue skies.

She saw also, as she lowered the lens, a blockade of at least six Fire Navy warships. One of them flew an enormous red banner that she recognized as a fleet commander's insignia. She had little doubt that Zhao had somehow anticipated her path of travel. She made yet another mental note to "talk" to her crew.

"Do you want us to ready the catapult, miss?"

Azula was silent for a moment, then waved the bombardier away.

"No. Let them pass. We will follow them."

Iroh approached from over her shoulder.

"We have not yet crossed into Fire Navy territory. There is still time to turn back, Azula."

"And miss the chance to follow the Avatar? No."

Azula turned to the crew.

"We run the blockade! Full speed ahead!"

* * *

Commander Zhao set down his spyglass as he eyed the ship of the dishonored princess.

Captain Feng stood by his side in terse silence before asking, "Should we open fire on the traitor, sir?"

Zhao shook his head, turned, thinking hard.

"There is no need. She has already given me more information than I need. Ready my personal ship and assemble your best firebenders. And send word to the Fire Sages at the island."

"What shall I tell them sir?"

Zhao paused for a brief moment to compose himself, then answered with a gleeful smile that chilled Captain Feng to the bone, like a baleful predator before it devours its prey.

"Tell them to welcome the Avatar and to aid the Princess in her endeavors until our arrival. I believe we can kill two birds with one stone today."

He chuckled to himself.

"Yes, two birds that I've wanted to kill for a long time."

* * *

Azula summoned Iroh to her quarters shortly after breaking through the blockade.

"Princess, do you know who-"

"Yes uncle. It was Zhao, I know it. He likely let us through because he intends to follow."

Iroh nodded, then gave a small smile.

"But you have a plan?"

"Of course uncle. If Zhao wishes to follow the smoke of the _Redeemer_, I am more than willing to let him do so."

"But he will not expect a smaller vessel to evade him. You will remain here and I will follow the Avatar on my own. And yes uncle, I _will_ be quite careful. The Avatar will not escape me so easily this time."

Iroh looked as though he were to protest, but then changed his mind.

"If that is what you think is best Princess."

"It is."

"Then I wish you luck. We will not let Zhao have this ship in your absence."

Azula allowed herself to smile, if only for a few moments.

"Thank you uncle. When next we meet the Avatar shall be mine."

She left him to go below deck to a small boat. Setting down her medical supplies near her feet, she blew a small stream of steam into the receptacle to start the engine of the boat. It left the hull of the _Redeemer_ hurriedly, and looking for the Avatar's sky bison in the expanse of horizon, she steered course for the Temple of the Fire Sages.

Unbeknownst to her, Zhao watched as well with a keen eye. The predator must always know his prey, after all, and no deception could be permitted to slow his progress when he was this close to the ultimate achievement.

He ordered a boat of his own to be prepared and the cadre of firebendering soldiers that captain Feng had sent him was more than ready for their task.

* * *

The Temple itself was located across a series of rocky outcroppings jutting out from the crashing seas like abhorrent tentacles of some mysterious sea monster. Spawned from the death of some ancient volcanic eruption, as most land in the Fire Nation began, Azula noticed that this island in particular seemed to radiate heat, as though hosting some burning heart like the Fire Palace had.

Her boat had collided quite roughly with the shore, tearing a hole in its iron exterior, not that she particularly cared, however. She figured that the most valuable trips were almost always one way.

What had surprised her was that one of the Fire Sages on the island had not only already spotted her presence, but was helpful in escorting her through a tunnel system to reach the temple proper.

His name, Li, or some such derivative, was forgettable, but Azula was still thankful for the assistance. Time was of the essence if she were to capture the last airbender.

* * *

Azula had encountered three other Fire Sages before they admitted that the last of their number, a simple priest named Shyu, was helping the Avatar reach the burial chamber of Avatar Roku. Azula hid her disdain, not wishing to make enemies of the men that had aided her, and merely accompanied them to the burial chamber, assuring them that all she was concerned with was the Avatar.

And at this point, that was not a lie.

Once inside the chamber that held Roku's tomb, she signaled for the Sages to stay behind as she ambushed the Avatar, only to discover that the two in the room were the Water Tribe children that she had seen with the Avatar. As for his own whereabouts, the boy appeared to be absent.

In front of the Water Tribe villagers was an enormous door pitted with curving pipes that seemed to offer nothing other than aesthetic appeal. Azula assumed that the Avatar had locked himself in the tomb, then. Of course, without his friends to warn him of Azula's arrival, she also assumed she could still catch him off guard.

She crept behind the Water Tribe boy that had attempted to foolishly charge her in the South Pole. She found it almost impressive that he had come this far, and merely regrettable that he had been an enemy rather than an asset to her cause.

Azula wrapped an arm around his neck and lit a flame in the other hand. The boy's companion (a sister, Azula assumed) turned in shock, but said nothing.

"If you want him alive, you will do as I say."

The girl sheathed the pouch of water she had apparently subconsciously opened, and glared at Azula.

"What do you want?"

Azula backed up, motioning for the Fire Sages to arrive. They surrounded the girl, binding her with rope and then the boy after Azula had kicked him to the ground.

"All I want is for you two to be quiet. The Avatar is mine. I have no quarrel with villagers."

All that remained was to-

"I would not speak so quickly, _Princess_."

Azula's blood ran cold. _Zhao_ was here!

It was impossible, yet Zhao arrived, marching up the stairs to the burial chamber as though they had been created for him, flanked by at least eight firebending soldiers.

"I anticipated your ruse, and exploited your trust of the Fire Sages. Once again Azula, I have proven I am your superior."

"What do you-"

Azula was cut off when the Fire Sages she had surrounded the Water Tribe villagers with all summon fire in their palms, directed at her instead of at their captives.

Azula grimaced. She knew she could not fight her way out this time. Iroh had been correct, after all.

Zhao grinned in triumph.

"Do you see now Princess? The Avatar may not be reachable at this given moment, but as soon as this door opens, he will be my captive, along with you and the rest of your traitor crew."

Azula was so enraged that she screamed the worst of the profanities she could think of at Zhao for no reason other than it felt good to shout. She needed to buy time to think.

In response Zhao frowned.

"I would _assume_ that you picked that up from your disgusting failure of an uncle, but then again, any of your reject crewmembers might be of lesser intelligence to-"

"Shut up Zhao! You were lucky that my uncle convinced me to spare your miserable life after you lost the Agni Kai!"

"SILENCE!" Zhao bellowed.

One of the firebenders near Azula slapped her enough to make her vision blur.

She fell to the floor, but not before throwing more obscenities at her nemesis.

Zhao either did not hear her or pretended to not to, it was difficult to discern with the ringing in her ears.

"The Avatar is now only a wait away. And we _will_ wait."

And so they did.

* * *

Not long after Azula awoke from the blackness that was her aching head, steam began to flow from underneath the grand door to Roku's tomb.

Zhao sensed the moment was near, signaled his soldiers to get ready. They summoned fire in their hands and aimed at the door.

What followed was something neither Azula nor anyone else in attendance could have prepared for.

The door burst open, but more than one figure emerged from behind it. The Avatar, riding atop a sphere of conjured air, flew into the chamber and knocked aside most of Zhao's soldiers, freeing his Water Tribe friends from their confines.

But another figure, the impressive height of Avatar Roku, somehow arrived from the door as well. He struck the ground with a flaming palm so intense that Azula could feel the heat even from the distance away she was. The stone foundation of the temple began to melt, giving way to a volcanic expansion that shook the building.

Azula stood and sprinted to the shadows in the confusion, suddenly more concerned with escaping this situation alive more than capturing the Avatar. She raced down the stairs to the temple's exterior and to the silhouette of the _Redeemer_ off the farthest point of the island.

She did not turn back until she heard a resounding explosion, and even this was for a fractional moment. The Temple was in flames, sinking into the seas and the lava beneath it.

Exhausted, she reached the _Redeemer_, whereupon her arrival Iroh and the ship's healer helped her stumble towards her personal quarters.

Given some tea and a warm, wet cloth to sooth her headache, Azula lay on her bed and wished sleep to take her away, to let the problems and questions she had to be resolved some other time, perhaps tomorrow.

Her wish was granted with considerable quickness.

* * *

Commander Zhao was experiencing an emotion most would call fury, though if anyone had asked him, he would have said that fury was not strong enough a term to describe him at the moment.

Then again, Zhao would most likely have killed the person who had suggested such a word anyway, as judgment via pain was the only concept he could comprehend during the time.

The Avatar had escaped, with all his companions and himself fully intact. Azula had fled Zhao's forces despite playing exactly into his trap as he thought she would.

"That stupid _bitch!_" He screamed aloud, though his own soldiers were somewhat used to him voicing his opinions.

Though, all was not lost, he thought fairly.

The Fire Lord had asked for five traitors. And now Commander Zhao had five guilty Fire Sages bound on his deck.

"Commander Zhao!" The leader of the Sages, some Don Xeng, if Zhao could recall, protested.

"Only Shyu helped the Avatar! We were obedient to the Fire Lord and our fatherland!"

Zhao was too incensed to be reasoned with.

"Silence, traitors! I am he who the Fire Lord appointed to dispense judgment!"

He turned to them. Molten eyes surveyed them with hatred.

"All I had asked for was five traitors. And here you are."

The Sages collectively gasped.

"And do any of you know what happens to traitors to the Fire Nation?"

"But Commander Zhao! We helped you! We would you discard us like the dishonorable Shyu!?"

"Yes! Save us!"

Zhao paused.

"But I am merciful. A fair judge shall decide your fate."

He ordered his men to stand them up near the edge of the bow.

"Just as the wave carries ships to victory, so too can it rend them against the shores of rocky lands and dash their hulls to death."

He pushed each of the Sages personally into the ocean. Their screams were silenced individually with a soft, anticlimactic splash. He did not hear them.

"I hope you all can swim as well as you can talk."

* * *

A/N: There you go guys!

Hope you enjoyed it, and I apologize for the delay.

See you starside!

-Skryr


	7. Chapter VII - Azure Flame

THE DISHONORED PRINCESS

CHAPTER VII – AZURE FLAME

I'm back guys! Sorry for the delay, but I've gotten back into the writing groove, I think.

So enjoy this new chapter!

* * *

Azula had limped all the way back to the bridge before Iroh had stopped her, finally.

"What happened on the island? Where is the Avatar? And Zhao?"

Azula explained in a tired voice. Indeed, everything about her was tired. Her leg, injured from her escapade on the island with Zhao and his band of minions, refused to cooperate. She sat down roughly and without her usual grace on a nearby chair and asked the nearest crewmate for more herbal tea.

It helped only a little bit.

Iroh was silent for a long time after Azula had brought him up to speed on the events that had transpired. He was either thinking or staring blankly into space, Azula was not sure, but after this pause he spoke quite quickly.

"The Avatar could not have gotten far, then. And Zhao does not know where we are."

"Neither do I, Uncle."

He chuckled, brought her a map and pointed to a small dot near the Earth Kingdom coast.

"We managed to get through the Fire Navy patrols this time, and this village we're docked at has offered to help us repair and resupply."

"How generous of them."

"Yes, well, I think they were motivated by the Fire Nation Princess being aboard."

"I'm still surprised no one has let that slip from the Palace."

Iroh's smile was gone, replaced by a frown. Azula could not tell if it was from anger or sadness.

"Can you really blame them, niece? With men like Zhao around, all Firebenders are irredeemable."

Azula assumed there was great wisdom in this, but chose not to think too hard, lest her skull threaten to implode.

A second later, it do so anyway, to her great chagrin. She downed another cup of tea and shakily stood from her seat.

"I'm going back to sleep Uncle. Have some guards search the village for the Avatar's whereabouts, and then wake me no earlier than noon tomorrow."

"But Azula, its noon right now!"

She had already returned to her chambers.

Everything about her felt off. She had no idea why, and a tingling feeling told her to be suspicious.

But the succulent feel of the bed sheets against her tired body was too great a temptation. She was asleep within moments.

* * *

Another dream came to her.

The terrifying male face, the one she now recognized as Avatar Roku's, came to her again.

The scene of his arrival was not the Garden of Lilies, however. It was the temple dedicated to his memory, though now it bore the signs of Zhao's invasion. The spires of the shrines gave birth to flames that spread into the sky, dark smoke following them. This mixed with a blood red twilight sun to form a hellish looking landscape. Azula shuddered despite her slumber.

"The day approaches even quicker. Fire among ice, blood among water, and life among death."

Azula's voice found her at last.

"Avatar Roku?"

The figure seemed to focus on her this time, his eyes looking at her rather than through her.

"Why have you sent me these visions? I am not the Avatar."

Roku's face was impassive, but Azula felt rather than noticed a change in his being.

"Fire among ice, blood among water, and life among death. Each shall play their part, as it was meant to be."

"What does that mean?"

But the figure was already vanishing.

"Damn you spirit!"

* * *

Azula awoke with her anger. She felt thoroughly unrested, but the adrenaline of her own frustration had given her enough energy to move about her chamber. She had a feeling that it was not even close to the noon of the next day as she had commanded Iroh to summon her by, but she felt compelled, somehow, to walk, to think. She began to pace about her cabin

Roku's words made not the slightest sense to her, but the way he had spoken to her suggested that she was involved somehow.

"Fire among ice, blood among water, and life among death."

He had spoken as though those were people, characters, rather than objects. But the pain in Azula's body had subsided enough so that she could think. And so she did.

In the previous dream, the 'sanctuary' that Roku mentioned was likely either the one that she had escaped from Zhao from, or some other kind of temple. To her knowledge, neither the Earth Kingdom nor the Water Tribe had the same reverence for their ancestors as the Air Nomads did, so from her assumptions she guessed that Roku referred to some Air Temple that she had not yet discovered.

Of course, there was also the possibility that she was simply losing her mind, but there was an odd comfort in not thinking of this outcome.

Another thing that bothered her was how Zhao had seemingly become obsessed with the Avatar's capture, much as she had.

She required it to regain her honor, but Zhao had no such reason. Or so she imagined. She found it unlikely that someone of his status could possibly need any higher standing within the Fire Nation than he already commanded, but then again, she had long ago known him to be a greedy, self-centered bastard.

The question of motives transformed into an examination of her own reasons. She sought the honor that had been taken from her, sought the prestige that she had once enjoyed, but for _what_?

She remembered that the only thing that moved her in the Fire Nation (save her mother) was the hope of one day becoming the Fire Lord and restoring her nation to its proud origins. The perverted and disgusting thing that it was today was abhorrent to her, the way men like Zhao were allowed to exist and permeate the wondrous might of the Fire Nation was something she had vowed to destroy when she was younger, but now she had no resources beyond her own.

Azula stepped outside her chambers, walked the corridors, and arrived at the bow of the ship. It was night, impossible to estimate a specific time, but the moon shone radiantly over the waters. Their tranquility relaxed Azula. She sat down on the deck, legs folded between each other, and closed her eyes.

She felt calm. It was less unusual now than it had been in recent months, but the novelty had not yet worn off, it seemed. She could worry about how to dismantle the Fire Nation's diseased core later. For the meantime, she had to focus on finding and capturing the Avatar to regain her lost value, to the Fire Nation, and more importantly, to herself.

The Avatar escaped from Zhao, and given that the Fire Navy would likely be looking for them along the coasts, Azula guessed that the adventurer she sought after would return to the Earth Kingdom where it was (relatively) safer for his travel.

Azula then reasoned that she would need more than her own soldiers, limited as they were, to search for her prey. Natives would likely not help her, either out of a surplus of fear or a lack of one, but somewhere she remembered that mercenaries in the form of sea pirates were known to frequent the trading routes, such as the one that the _Redeemer_ occupied a dock in.

The Earth Kingdom had few naval vessels that she could interrogate a crewmember on, and moreover, it would be exceedingly difficult to come by one safely. Pirates could be paid to perform either raids or provide information, which suited Azula perfectly.

With her plan constructed, Azula allowed herself a private smile, letting her mind go blank.

A few minutes passed before she had accomplished the feat of falling asleep sitting up.

* * *

She was awakened, with some embarrassment, from an overly nervous crewmate that was apparently trying to tell her it was well past noon and that Iroh was extremely sorry.

Azula wiped the drowsiness from her eyes with a hand and mumbled something to the effect of "Don't worry about it," and stumbled around the deck before she truly woke up.

She walked down the gangplank of the _Redeemer_ and smelled the fresh air mixed with the heavy scent of seawater. It felt oddly refreshing, helped her think after sleeping for so long.

It also reminded her that since her sleep had lasted an entire day, she was beyond hungry. Her stomach growled in affirmation, prompting her to walk back to the decks and into the kitchen, where Iroh was making small talk with the cook, though he immediately went over to greet her when he spotted her entrance.

"Oh, good! You're awake princess!"

She nodded, then sat down on a nearby stool, gazing out into the sea from a starboard window for a moment before addressing the cook and ordering him to prepare her lunch. Iroh sat beside her.

"Azula, let me begin by apologizing for not waking you up at the time you wanted, it was my greatest mis-" She interrupted him with a wave of her hand.

"Don't concern yourself uncle. I overslept."

His look of surprise would have been amusing had Azula been looking at him rather than the table, which she attributed to her odd sense of calmness. Iroh found his words after a pause.

"Of course princess."

Nothing was spoken for a time, mainly as Azula was still distracted by the hypnotic quality of the table and lost in her own mind, but eventually she regained her usual composure and beckoned Iroh to follow her into the bridge after she had finished her meal.

Ignoring the apparent tranquility that she had discovered by her sleep, Azula still desired to keep the search for the Avatar on track, and now that she was certain Zhao was after him as well, the expediency of this task must be increased as well.

Rather amusingly, Azula noted that the notion to hire pirates as underlings left her as quickly as she had thought of it. Pirates were untrustworthy to any cause but gold, and as she had been told, the _Redeemer's_ coffins were not as they used to be.

Still, the process of finding the Avatar by other means than personally scouring the earth appealed to her.

"Uncle, if I'm correct, the Avatar has fled back to the Earth Kingdom to avoid Zhao's navy."

Iroh nodded as she continued.

"This means that we are to bring the _Redeemer_ to dock in the nearest Earth Kingdom village and secure some kind of transport to any Earth Kingdom city that we can find. In a place big enough like that, we can hopefully find information on where the Avatar might wish to go."

It was a sound plan, even as Azula knew that she did not have a tendency to make such things. Iroh agreed wholeheartedly.

"I know from my old days as one of the Fire Nation's generals that the Earth Kingdom employs ostrich horses for its fastest military mounts. Perhaps if we could find some we could ride to Omashu. It's the biggest city outside of Ba Sing Se."

"Indeed. Belay these orders to the men, uncle. I am going to meditate."

The words still sounded odd to her but she had accepted that some meditation would be good for her, and she walked to her cabin and sat cross-legged on her bed.

She forced her mind to relax. This process had become much easier the less that she thought about the Avatar, Zhao, or anything else, she had noticed.

She remembered with distinct clarity that she had been overwhelmed by Zhao's soldiers at the Fire Sage's temple, and how she needed to become better both a fighter and a firebender if she was to combat them. The teachings of her uncle and of her old mentor Jeong Jeong had made little sense to her when they were first heard, about how calmness of the mind could lead to the greatest of firebending power, something she saw as chaotic and aggressive, but she knew better now.

Azula steadily breathed, opened her eyes, and for the first time in her life, thought about fire as a force of life instead of death.

And from her palm sprung a small flame, a simple blue fire, dancing in the air.

Uncharacteristically of her demeanors, Azula let out a shriek of excitement. She had heard of firebenders whose flame was so powerful that it was blue rather than the normal orange that fire exhibited, but it was as powerful as it was rare.

Though the attempt to focus herself was more difficult this time due to her excitement, Azula went through the same process she had a moment ago and concentrated her mind on generating this blue flame, and held a hand up.

Like before, the azure flame stood in her palm, ready to be used for whatever purpose.

Azula would not have believed it had she not seen it herself. The flame even felt different to her, more directed, more powerful, but most of all, more intentional.

_She_ had created this. _She _had willed it into being through her focus. And this possessive quality of the fire made it that much more personal to Azula. She was almost beside herself with prideful excitement, another emotion she was not accustomed to feeling, but accepted nonetheless.

She was not naïve enough to assume that it would be easy to conjure such an ability in something as heated (pun intended) as actual combat, but she was also confident in her means to remain concentrated.

If for no other purpose than to prove to herself that she could, she generated the flame yet again and simply stared at it. It was oddly beautiful, not in the way that was noteworthy (other than the obvious coloration difference), but in how it was unequivocally _hers_. This was highly satisfying to Azula.

It was also quite some time before her stomach reminded her that another mealtime had come upon her without her knowledge otherwise, and reluctantly she put out the flame she had been toying with to go to the kitchen and find another item of sustenance.

The entire way there, the time spent eating, and the entire way back to her cabin for the night, the image of the flame never left her eyes.

The last thing she remembered before falling asleep peacefully and without ominous dreams or phantom pains in her body was the simple blue fire.

* * *

The following morning Azula awoke with a yawn and a good stretch, then walked out to the bow and watched the brilliant sunrise over the early sky, sitting in what had become her usual spot these days.

Iroh found her sometime after, and sat beside her as he occasionally did. Azula wondered why he did this, but did not complain as he did not attempt to disrupt her concentration, and truthfully, she liked his being there, though she would never admit that to anyone besides herself.

This morning, however, Azula sought to break the silence.

"Uncle?"

"Yes princess?"

"How rare is a firebender that can use blue fire?"

"Oh, you mean the dragonsfire? It is quite rare, my princess."

Her silence prodded him to keep speaking, and he did so.

"I myself have not mastered it, and know of only two firebenders that could, and they were even more skilled than I was, and if you would excuse the lack of humility, _I_ am very skilled."

He moved to stand, as did Azula.

"Then uncle, what do you think of _this_?"

She held the blue flame in her palm for yet another time, no less proud of it than when she first beheld it, as Iroh turned to see what she was referring to. At first his face showed shock as though he was struck by lightning, it faded into such a smile that Azula had only seen once.

And that was at the celebration of her eighth birthday. Azula was tempted to allow tears to fall, another first in a long time, but willed them to stay where they were as much as she willed to flame to continue burning.

"I stand corrected then, princess. I know of three firebenders that are even more skilled than I am."

Azula smiled in response, then bowed.

"Thank you uncle. I only discovered this yesterday. The night before this morning, in fact."

Iroh did not answer, merely looked at her, still with a mix of wonder and pride. She felt immensely pleased by the proceedings. Finally he turned to go.

"We are nearing the port Azula. It will soon be time to find transport to Omashu."

"Yes. Soon."

She was left alone on the deck. The travel had taken the entire morning, so the sun now stood at the precipice of the sky, bathing all the seas in its light. Azula took a moment to gaze upon the horizon and think of the accomplishment she had achieved, smiled again, and then followed Iroh to return to the decks below.

* * *

Shortly afterwards they arrived at a small settlement apparently named Yung. The villagers acted hastily out of fear, as Azula had hoped they would, even though she had little intention of actually harming them. A change had set about in her, she noticed. And she rather liked how she felt. No desire to act as a Fire Nation princess 'ought' seemed to appeal to her anymore.

Still, the extra swiftness would not be underappreciated. She even allowed Iroh to pay for the stocking of their ship supplies.

She admitted it was odd, not encountering much difficulty on this excursion, but Azula had often accredited such feelings of ominous fear as simple paranoia, as something that only one as unstable as Zhao would honestly believe.

The events that happened that night, of course, educated her that her feelings were rarely wrong.

* * *

Azula had only really noticed the odd feelings of discomfort return to her as she lay in bed that night. She had opted to sleep in the only inn that the village possessed (at the chagrin of the other visitors that were actually paying to stay there, though she didn't care all that much about them) so that she could grow accustomed to falling asleep on the ground as opposed to a ship for the journey ahead.

Maybe the hum of the _Redeemer's_ engine helped her get to sleep before, because without such a thing she could not find sleep at all. She tossed and turned for quite some time, at one point even throwing the measly blanket they had offered her aside.

This would not do. She would need to be well rested in order to make the journey (on foot) to another nearby village, where they had been told that there were ostrich horses for sale, though Azula doubted she would spend a coin.

She got up to pace again, finding that even meditations had not helped in getting her to sleep. Perhaps if she could not sleep she could think. She had assumed that the Avatar was travelling to the various Air Temples for knowledge of something, though what it was for she could not guess. But this business with the temple of the Fire Sages and Avatar Roku's apparition, Azula's hypothesis had been thrown into disarray.

When she had talked to Iroh of this (or more accurately, when he had informed her that the summer solstice was likely the reason of the Avatar's visit to the temple), she had determined that the Avatar's plan was much more complicated than she realized.

The point of an Avatar was to restore balance to the world, that much she knew. She also knew that the Avatar was the only one that could command all four elements and with stunning ability. Yet this boy, this Aang, had only demonstrated the ability to control his native element of air. It was no less impressive, as Azula had been sure that the Air Nomads had been destroyed by her grandfather Sozin, but apparently this boy had escaped even him.

Azula wondered, absentmindedly at first, then with more focus, how the Avatar could even still _be_ a boy. The last Avatar was of the Air Nomads, and as such was the reason for Sozin's genocide. A new Avatar had not been born, so Azula had assumed that the cycle was broken. Yet here this boy was, and he could not be over the age of twelve.

How had he survived?

Azula had already made the mistake of underestimating him, but she could not fathom a reason or a means for his survival after the "crusade" her grandfather had undertaken to find and end him.

It was all moot, Azula noted, as none of that information would have helped her ascertain where the Avatar intended to go next so Azula could successfully capture him. She doubted he had already visited all four Air Temples, particularly the ones that the Fire Nation had already occupied (two of them Azula knew for certain were already in the hands of the Fire Navy), but even if he did, what could he hope to find in the Earth Kingdom?

It was baffling. Iroh's insight was definitely needed on the subject for Azula to make light of anything else.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on one's viewpoint), a sound reached Azula's ears that distracted her from anything her mind could think of; a voice muffled by the floor beneath her, indicating that someone was speaking rather loudly in the room downstairs.

At this time of night? Azula doubted it could be anything good.

Her curiosity overrode her sensible instinct to grab her armor, as the process of putting it all on would take valuable time. Instead, she slid on a light covering and crept out of her room and to the top step of the stairs, hoping to find the source of the voice.

"…And be quick about it. The princess is upstairs somewhere, but all the others are already dealt with. Take Miko and Meng with you. She's dangerous."

It was a brusque male voice, and one that Azula had definitely never heard before. But she recognized enough to know that whoever he was talking about was coming upstairs to find her (unless there was another princess to deal with around here, to which Azula shuddered), and fast.

She moved as quickly as she could without making a sound, and returned to her room. Underneath the meager nightstand where she had laid her finer robe, she had hidden a small dagger for emergencies, for which this situation definitely classified. It was a stiletto, small and easily concealable, but not at all deadly unless used precisely. Not that she had much choice.

She moved to the wall next to the door and waited, her heart beating furiously against her chest. She heard three sets of footsteps, heavy and obviously not overly concerned with stealth. To her great relief, a new voice called out to the others.

"Split up. One of these rooms is hers."

The footsteps did as they were commanded, and only one set instead of three converged on Azula's room. She held her breath as a figure opened the door and walked into the room. He was a tall, muscly man, built like a bull and probably just as well-mannered as one. Curiously he was armed, but the sword in question was stored in a scabbard.

Azula let out a small breath. These men were likely just pirates looking to capture her for a ransom, then. They weren't trained assassins.

She held her stiletto high and covered the man's mouth with one hand and drew the stiletto to his neck with the other.

"Any sound and you're dead." She whispered into his ear. He nodded, apparently too scared to realize that he could likely lift her with one arm.

"Take your sword and put it on the bed. Do it now, or you're dead."

The man did as he was told. He removed the sword from the scabbard and laid it on Azula's bed. He whimpered in response to her pressing the stiletto's blade a little tighter than she had originally.

"Now close your eyes. We are going to turn around. If you see me or make a sound, you're dead."

She didn't know whether he closed his eyes, nor did she really care. It was a façade to give her the illusion of being much more dangerous than he realized, but she doubted he knew that. They turned so that she could see the doorway.

Suddenly she heard voices coming from the hallway. The other two had apparently finished their searches.

"Hey, what's taking Meng so long?"

"Hell if I know. Find him."

Another man walked into Azula's view and jumped.

"What the-?"

He reached for his own sword and yelled to his companion.

"Shang! The princess's here, she's got Meng!"

More footsteps in the hall. Azula mentally cursed. The time for subtlety had left her.

She kicked the man in front of her, apparently named Meng, and he fell forward. The other pirate was startled enough to give Azula an opening. She moved quickly, jumping off of the prostrate Meng's body and delivered a kick to the other pirate's head, knocking him backwards into the hall.

The last pirate was already nearby. He slashed at her with an axe, she dodged, ducking around his clumsy attack and kicked at his knee. It buckled and he fell, but Azula heard one of the ones behind her already up and likely moving. She couldn't take them all at once, but she could scare them, at least.

She tried to focus enough to project the blue flames again, but her adrenaline proved too great, and the normal orange fire greeted her instead. Regardless, it served its purpose. The walls ignited and the two pirates leaped backwards to attempt to escape it.

Azula did not care whether the fire actually reach them or not, it was but a means of her escape to find out whatever the hell was going on and how many pirates were after her. She turned and fled to the end of the hall, where an open-air window revealed a picturesque night sky. It seemed half-insulting that pirates should attack on such a night.

As the fire spread through the wooden structure like, well, wildfire, Azula offered a small prayer to Agni and decided to take her chances. She took a running start and jumped through the window, rolling over her shoulder as she hit the ground to minimize the impact, though to her relief the sandy ground beneath her did not hurt as much as she had feared.

She glanced over her shoulder to look at the burning building, guessing it would collapse soon enough. Good. A useful distraction.

She then looked around and spotted the _Redeemer_ still docked. At least the pirates had stolen her ship.

If the men under her had not already been captured they would have been fighting, she assumed, and the lack of battle around her suggested they had succumbed to their attackers. She didn't know where they might be in that case, but it would be easier to fight from the _Redeemer's_ decks in any case, and escape was a safer option anyhow.

She sprinted to the docks where the _Redeemer_ stood, past more men that she assumed to be more pirates, from the way they angrily followed her, and nearly jumped across the gangplank. More pirates were already coming up from below the _Redeemer's _deck, so her theory that her men had been captured proved true enough.

She sent a wave of fire towards them, and as they ducked to avoid it, she jumped over their heads and into the decks below, eager to find any trace of her crew. She ran down the halls, but other than finding more pirates, she discovered nothing. She doubted the pirates could match her speed, given that they likely had never tried to catch something as fast as her in their lives, but she knew the claustrophobic halls were no place she could live through a fight in.

Azula then ran back up above deck and to her horror, discovered that the pirates were waiting for her. The burliest of them and the apparent leader, a dark skinned giant of a man, whose bare arms rippled with veins and tattoos, stood towering over a figure held captive in his grasp, none other than uncle Iroh.

Azula gasped. The man acknowledged this as an invitation to speak.

"Stop right there Princess! We've got your old man right here, and you're surrounded."

Azula glanced and realized the man was right. Damnation upon him.

"Now let's come to an agreement, like civilized folk, shall we?"

He was grinning. His face was like a wolf, eager to bite into its prey. Azula would have been frightened of him had he not already inspired the fury she had for him for this situation's events.

"All we want is you little girl. We don't need to hurt your old man, or anyone else here. So just hand yourself over, and they'll go free. No need for any more violence, right?"

The smile only reinforced Azula's belief that he couldn't speak the truth if it could save his life, so instead of paying him any attention she looked at Iroh and begged him to understand her plan without words. He was looking directly at her as well, and when he gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod, she hoped he knew what she was about to do.

Or in any case, she would go down fighting. It wasn't the worst outcome.

Thankfully, it appeared Iroh _did_ understand, for at that moment he surprised Azula yet again. He wrenched his head free of the pirate leader's arm, breathing fire from his very mouth and startling the pirates around him. Meanwhile, Azula kicked out two successive waves of fire from both feet, successfully unbalancing the two pirates nearest her.

She turned her back on Iroh and the pirate leader to focus on several more pirates coming up the ramp from below deck, and tried to keep them at bay with more blasts of fire. One, armed with two large hammers, escaped her attack and charged at her.

She avoided the heavy blow by the skin of her teeth, feeling the air surge past her face where the hammers flew by, but refused to let herself be distracted by it. Azula ducked and kicked out at the man's legs, like she had done with the pirate at the inn, and felt immediate satisfaction when the man's weight caused him to fall over.

She heard yells of pain and shock accompanied by heavy sounds of firebending behind her, so she assumed that either the other crewmembers had escaped or Iroh was again inspiring his title of the Dragon of the West. She jumped out of the way of a sword wielding pirate who lunged at her, rolling to his flank and then shot fire at him from her position. He burst into flame and rushed to the side of the ship, intent on jumping overboard to put himself out, it seemed.

Azula then dodged more attacks from other pirates, countering their slow and heavy offensives with either blasts of fire or kicks targeted at their feet when eventually all the ones around her where either too battle weary to get up or had fled her vicinity.

She looked behind her to see that Iroh had dealt with all but the pirate leader, with whom he dueled at the present in a most intense fashion. They exchanged blows, aggressive punches and kicks, which honestly surprised Azula, as she had not imagined her uncle to be as physically able as the burly pirate leader, but she gave a small smile of triumph when the pirate leader finally overstepped himself and Iroh took advantage of the mistake to knock him down to the deck of the _Redeemer_ with a kick to the torso.

The other pirates had been defeated or escaped, and the crewmates that Azula had thought to be captured had successfully returned. The pleasure of knowing she and her crew had fought off an unknown threat without casualty overrode both the pain of Azula's sore body and protests of a lack of sleep.

Iroh accompanied her to the dormitories, whereupon reaching their respective rooms he promised to explain his knowledge of the situation after a good night's sleep. Azula agreed whole-heartedly and almost passed out on her bed once she reached it.

Her sleep was blissful and dreamless.

* * *

Well, that was a blast! Get ready for the next chapter guys!

-Skryr


End file.
